Survivors Guilt
by WistfulSin
Summary: It had started as a mission to recover a powerful artifact. Cut and dry. Too bad for Hiei his new enigmatic charge had other plans. Once Amon-Shinpi revealed herself, her power, and her past, Hiei couldn't just step back. He came for a fight, he stayed to play his part in cultivating a powerful demon. Love was a foreign word to him, but revenge? That he understands. Hiei/OC
1. Empty Shadows

"Spirit gun!"

Blue light blazed for a moment, illuminating the park and its few occupants, before sputtering from existence. Kuwabara glared at Yusuke, annoyed he'd wasted his time coming out on this trip and also that yet again Yusuke had taken a fight from him.

"You could've killed me, man! Watch where you aim that thing!" The carrot top yelled, getting to his feet from where he'd been knocked onto the ground moments before. He toed the demon beside him, assured it was dead by the gaping hole in its chest. "Even on your off days you're still pretty strong."

"Everyone seems strong to you." Hiei pointed out, arms crossed as he watched from beside Kurama. "It must be boring being so helpless all the time."

"I'll show you helpless." Kuwabara grunted, rolling up the sleeves of his button down.

Hiei glared at him, ducking under the large swinging fist with ease. The short skirmish ended when Kurama checked the time on his phone and announced it to Yusuke.

"Oh shit! I'm late!" The Spirit Detective grabbed his hair. "Keiko is going to murder me! I don't have blood on my clothes do I? I think the restaurant has a dress code against that."

"You're fine." Kurama smiled at him, despite grabbing Yusuke's collar to adjust it. "Is tonight the night then? You do seem dressed up."

Hiei glanced toward the trees over his shoulder, eyes narrowed as he tried to pick up movement he was sure he'd just seen. No one seemed to notice his attention wavering.

"I mean, I got the ring and all, it's just picking the right time and place. And now she's on me about getting another job and I think she'll say no if I don't have one." Yusuke sighed heavily.

"Just ask her, man." Kuwabara deadpanned. "At this rate, _she's_ going to ask _you_."

"Hn. I don't see the need for any of it." Hiei threw out, still scanning the canopy and branches of the dark woods. "Who wants to be tied down anyway? And your woman is plenty bossy as is. Why formalize the arrangement?"

The other three men stared at him, then rolled their eyes to each other.

"Things aren't going well with Mukuro?" Yusuke guessed, raising his eyebrows. "You've been coming back a lot more lately."

"Mukuro and I aren't involved." Hiei repeated tersely, for the millionth time in his tenure. This conversation was becoming tiresome. "I just don't understand your anxiety. Your woman and you live together. You sleep together. She's obviously not going anywhere despite your constantly disappointing her. At this point, marriage would just be redundant."

"Gee, thanks man." Yusuke scowled at him. "You're a real ray of sunshine."

"Aren't you late?" Hiei reminded him with a glare.

The fire demon cut his eyes to the trees again, brow pulling down. There is was again, the faintest tremor of the branches out of place. But when he scoured the shadows he came up empty again. This time, Kurama noticed and turned to him as Yusuke sprinted full bore across the park yelling out is goodbyes.

"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama focused his attention on the trees too.

"Did you pick up any unfamiliar scents?" Hiei asked, glancing at the redhead.

"No." The fox demon shook his head slightly.

"Okay, well, you two are obviously about to do something weird and demony so I'm off." Kuwabara waved at them. "I've got to finish studying anyway."

"Actually, I'll walk with you." Kurama offered with a warm smile. "I promised Shizuru I would give her movie back the next time I saw you."

They both turned to Hiei, but he was already gone.

"Does that bother you?" Kuwabara asked. "His little disappearing acts are sort of rude."

"Hiei is off in his own world. It's when I hear him I get concerned." Kurama laughed.

The fire demon rolled his eyes, perched in the trees. Nothing. No aura, no demons, no energy signature. Nothing. But he _knew_ someone had been here. He could _feel_ it despite the lack of evidence. Someone had been here watching him and the others without being detected. The fact Kurama hadn't noticed something was off was unusual. The fox was always in tune with his surroundings and could pick a demon out of a throng of humans with incredible accuracy every time.

So, maybe their spectator hadn't been a demon? No. That seemed unlikely. A human wouldn't have pulled off an escape in the time he'd taken to flicker from beside the others to the branch. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was something.

If they were being watched by someone adept enough to deceive the team, then it was likely the culprit would come back. He'd just be vigilant and wait for his chance to catch them in the act. Hiei's lips pulled up in a malicious smirk.

Poor creature didn't even know what fate they'd just resigned themselves too.

….

"Mikamoto, looking good today."

Iruni didn't even lift her eyes from the book she poured herself over, sitting by herself in the university cafeteria. "That's not a compliment and I'm not interested in talking to you."

"Sheesh, what a bitch." The man rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to be nice to you."

"No. You're trying to get _me_ to be nice to _you_." She flipped a page. "We're done, please go."

He grumbled and walked away. Blue eyes cut to his back, narrowed, as she watched him walk from under the fringe of her dark bangs. Honestly, these people were the absolute worst. What an entitled group of cretins. Her eyes fell back to the page, her expression shifting back to neutral. Annoyed, she turned back to the previous page, realizing she couldn't actually remember reading it. That's what she got for staying out so late.

High tailing it away from the park had felt disgraceful, but there was no way she could survive a showdown with the Jaganshi at this point. He wasn't even supposed to be there. Of all the members of the Rekai Tentai, he was the one she'd been diligently trying to avoid. Minamino thought nothing of her, they'd been in school together for years. The human boy, Kuwabara, seemed to have decent enough senses but her energy was low enough he never got disturbed by her presence. She'd put herself close to him a few times in crowds to be sure. Urameshi was too obtuse to care. But the Jaganshi, Hiei, he was a problem.

Which he'd proven when he'd tracked her into the woods the night before. She'd been so careful. Sitting up wind, forcing her energy to flicker out, being silent and still. Of course, it had taken him a while to notice her at all. That was promising. And he hadn't immediately jumped to using his Jagan, a small blessing. But still, it had been too close and if she was going to get what she was after, she'd need to be cautious.

And everyone knows the best defense is a good offense.

That's why she picked up her book and headed toward the lawn, aimed at a particular redhead under a large tree. Minamino looked innocuous enough if you didn't know anything about him. Fair featured, startling red hair, intelligent green eyes and a kind smile. He spoke well, talked about his family fondly. His scores were always high and he seemed to study relentlessly. But Iruni knew better. She knew his secret and she pinned it under her tongue as she sat down beside him, her back straight.

Every member of the rag-tag team had a weakness, a break in their defenses. Kurama's was his curiosity and his reliance on his senses. The idea of toying with his family never crossed her mind, his defenses were too substantial for threats. If she played her cards right she'd win his trust and his interest in her would continue on as benignly as ever.

"Don't be mistaken. I'm not here to confess some ridiculous attraction to you." She stated, eyes scanning over the courtyard as he looked over at her with an expectant expression. "You've been followed all day, I just thought I'd let you know. The man looks like someone with ill intent and I'd hate to see your mother crying on the news if something happened to you."

Kurama blinked. Then he glanced over to the street where he noticed Hiei lurking. Green eyes moved back over to the woman who'd come to warn him of this apparent danger.

"He's actually a friend of mine, but thank you for your concern Mikamoto." He nodded his head. "Hiei does look a bit rough on the edges. So far you're the first person to ever say something about it though."

"There's been a lot of disappearances lately. It would be a shame for something to happen because I didn't speak up. Sorry for my mistake, all the same." She glanced at Hiei, frowning.

"I'm surprised you noticed him, actually. Most people don't." Kurama looked over too.

"Maybe that's why so many people are going missing." She closed her eyes and stood up, unfurling herself as Hiei came to a stop a few feet away, his crimson eyes narrowed on her. If those were the only two he was using, she was fine. "Anyway, have a nice day. I'll see you in class on Wednesday."

She arched a wide curve around Hiei to avoid getting too close to him, her shoulders stiff as she hauled her bag high onto them. Kurama waited for her to go before explaining the situation.

"She has a point. If more humans were aware of their surroundings, they'd avoid trouble." Hiei pointed out. Then with a bit of an edge he added. "She's not another one of your suitors is she?"

"No. She very specifically told me she wasn't." Kurama rose and shouldered his bag. "Where did you run off to last night?"

Hiei told him. The redhead mulled over the information.

"Given the uprising in activity as of late, it's good you checked it out. We'll have to let the others know to be careful." Kurama then checked his phone. "Oh, Yusuke didn't propose last night."

"He's never going to." Hiei rolled his eyes. "I've never seen someone so powerful beaten so thoroughly."

Kurama chuckled. "Keiko does have a certain power over Yusuke, doesn't she?"

"I don't get it. If he wants to marry her, why is he dragging his feet? He should either do it or stop worrying about it." Hiei grumped. "I'm tired of constantly hearing about his plans and schemes and them never amounting to anything."

"He wants to do it right."

"Perfectionism will get him nowhere."

Kurama glanced at Hiei. "Would you be any different if it were you?"

"Of course. I would just handle the situation." Hiei told him firmly.

"You would just propose the moment it occurred to you to do so?" Kurama tilted his head. "That's rash, Hiei. Some things need to thought about."

"If someone catches my interest enough for me to think that I want to stay beside them then I won't hesitate to act on it." Hiei shook his head.

…

Iruni paced her home. Thirty-eight steps from the kitchen sink to the couch in the living room. Back and forth. Arms behind her back, eyes narrowed in thought, she stalked from one side of the house to the other deliberately and yet totally lost to her surroundings.

He was coming, she could feel it.

She'd been biding her time, waiting for the right moment to get what was hers. She'd already located the sword once, but when she went to retrieve it from the old psychic on the mountain, it was gone. Now she had a suspicion of the location, but needed a plan. If she was correct, and she normally was, then she'd have to use the Spirit Detective and his team to her advantage.

Kurama was a start. Her warning did well with him. He'd seen it as an act of kindness from a quiet girl.

What she wanted to do was wait for the Jaganshi to disappear back to his side of the line so she could handle the rest of the team. It would be no problem for her to garner their trust and use it. But Hiei? Hiei would remain suspicious and there was no doubt he'd eventually turn that third eye to her and she'd be found out. All she needed was to put space between them.

But she didn't have time to wait.

He was coming.

Stopping on the threshold of the living room she let her hands fall to her sides, her face lifting toward the ceiling.

With enough time, she could have carefully integrated herself. Then Hiei's skepticism would have been dismissed as his own paranoia. Now, she'd have to work with shoehorning her way into the team's trust. It was trickier. A higher risk. But the payout would be the same.

She needed the sword, they were the means to that end. She needed to get their attention on her in a positive way. She needed to become indispensable as fast as possible.

Her lips pulled up, revealing her teeth.

What they were going to need was an expert. How fortunate that no one was more qualified to fill that role than her. And in the meantime, she'd garner their attention with a little pawn.

….

"You're saying we were followed?" Yusuke rubbed his neck as he spoke to Kurama. "And Hiei couldn't catch the guy?"

"They had already fled according to him." Kurama nodded.

"Why isn't shorty here to tell us this?" Kuwabara demanded.

"I am here." Hiei announced himself, making Kuwabara jump with a grimace. "Idiot. You just learned someone is watching us. Be more aware."

"Don't take it out on Kuwabara that someone is faster than you." Yusuke warned Hiei. "It's not his fault this guy got away."

"Hn. Don't you have a woman to disappoint?" Hiei grumped at Yusuke, shoulders hunching. "Isn't there some ridiculous date you need to be on?"

"Don't drag Keiko into your temper tantrum." Yusuke rolled his eyes. "But yeah, I do gotta meet her for a movie. Kurama said this was important though so I told her I had to come."

"Her purse must be heavy with your balls locked inside." Hiei noted dryly, earning a glare.

"I'm sure it's this way."

The voice cut through the conversation before Yusuke could snap back his response at the shorter demon. Hiei dared him to, all the same, bowing up to the taller man before they all looked over at the two women stumbling out of the trees.

"See? I told you." Iruni straightened her shirt, squaring her shoulders. Her eyes moved over to the team.

"Mikamoto?" Kurama blinked in surprise. "What are you doing wandering around this time of night? It's not safe."

"I can handle myself." She told him, picking a bit of leaf from her shoulder and flicking it to the ground.

The woman who walked up to her side stood several inches taller than she did, hair a tangle of wild blonde curls. Sharp nails bore chipped polish. She carried the distinct aura of a demon around her, eyes scanning the team. Her fear of them was obvious as she stepped back to stand behind the human girl who seemed none the wiser of her companion's heritage.

All four men narrowed their gazes on the demoness, who flitted her attention between them and the human who'd been walking with her.

"Say, Minamino, have you seen any fireflies?" Iruni stepped forward with her innocent question, her exasperation obvious. "Shikari has never seen them. I've been hoping to find some to show her."

"No. I haven't." Kurama shook his head. "You've been wandering the woods together?"

"Safety in numbers." She nodded.

"Hn. Humans." Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes away. "They have no sense of self-preservation."

Iruni flicked her gaze to him, then back to Kurama.

"I think what he means is, you were just warning me about being safe earlier today. For you to wander around the woods at night seems a bit hypocritical, even if you have a friend with you." Kurama looked passed Iruni to Shikari, who seemed to shrink under his attention. "There are all sorts of dangers in those trees. I'd hate for you to get hurt."

Iruni turned to look at Shikari over her shoulder, a cool expression in place. Then she looked back at the four men, eyes bouncing from each of them to the next. After a moment she shook her head with a chuckle.

"You're all so tense." She remarked. "It's like you're waiting to be attacked. I hadn't realized two women could be so scary."

The statement eased them a little. Yusuke spoke up. "Nah, we were just surprised by you two popping up out of nowhere. Can't be too careful, right?"

"Of course. I'm sorry we startled you." She bobbed her head to his words. "Well, we'll be on our way. If you happen to see any fireflies, please let me know. I'm dying to show them to Shikari."

And with the demoness in tow, she walked by the team without seeming to notice the aura of the fighters.

"Your friend has unusual taste." Hiei glanced at Kurama. "Do you think she realizes her companion could have easily killed her in those trees?"

"Doubtful. She didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. She didn't react to us either and I was intentionally letting my energy increase." Kurama shook his head. "She noticed you earlier, but I think she's merely observant. Maybe a little sensitive like Shizuru. But the demon with her didn't seem to be dangerous towards her."

"No, but she sure as hell knew who we were. Did you see her face?" Yusuke frowned. "She looked like she'd seen something terrible when they came out. Maybe she pulled back because of us."

"No, that's not it." Kuwabara stared after the two women. "I don't know if it was us she was afraid of."

The others looked at him. Hiei was the one who spoke up, annoyed.

"Idiot. What else would it have been?"

Kuwabara remained quiet, but troubled. The demon had definitely stepped behind the girl when she noticed them. But it wasn't the act of someone using a human shield to protect themselves. It looked like the way a child might hide behind their parent. The girl never changed, never faltered when she saw them. It was like she wasn't surprised at all. But the demon was. He turned to look at the direction they walked off in again, brows pulled down. The others wouldn't believe him if he said it, seeing as how the girl's aura was nonexistent.

But that was the thing that he had noticed about her. It wasn't that she had low energy. It was that there was _nothing_ to her aura at all. When she'd walked passed he'd been looking for it, any flicker around her. But a vacuum surrounded her, an intentional emptiness, engulfing empitness.

He'd never seen anything like it before.

…

"Maybe the SDF would be a better choice, sir." Botan played with her ponytail nervously, running her hand over the strands of cerulean blue repeatedly. "If it really is him, then shouldn't we send them instead?"

"No. I think it would be better if the team handled it." Koenma poured over the papers on his desk, reading through the reports. "It's on Human World territory and if we send in the SDF it could cause a fight. You know how Yusuke gets."

"But sir." She protested, frowning. "This is bad."

"It might get worse." He admitted, sighing heavily. "With the artifacts, he'll be nearly impossible to stop. Honestly, the team is our only choice. They're stronger than the SDF, especially as a unit."

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to." Koenma's eyebrow twitched. "Just get the case to them, Botan. That's an order."


	2. Calculated Risks

**A/N: So here is chapter two of the rewrite. I have through chapter 4 written and have been working beyond that. I have about 43 pages worth of scenes and sections typed at this point, just a matter of piecing them together correctly and creating a good flow for the story. So, if you've read the previous incarnation of this story, you'll notice there are some difference starting to crop up. That is the glory of this rewrite. I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Calculated Risks (in which Iruni's plans gain traction and Hiei loses his temper)**

* * *

Yusuke squirmed in his seat, annoyed with the sudden call and for having to host _as usual_. These freeloaders always ate all of his good food. Well, most of them. Kurama always brought snacks to share. At least their illustrious brat king wasn't making a physical appearance or his pantry would be done for. Who knew a toddler could pack away so much food?

Botan held open a laptop with Koenma's face on it, her anxiety as clear as day in the way her shaking hands gripped the device. The others all lounged around the apartment in various states of interest. Hiei glared out the window, bitter he'd been drug here for another waste of his time. If he'd slept in the park instead of at Kurama's this wouldn't have happened, but the threat of rain kept him indoors. Kurama sat on the couch near Yusuke, legs crossed at the knees, hands folded neatly in his lap. Kuwabara lazed on the floor between them, legs stretched out under the coffee table, hands full of a can of soda and some chips as he snacked.

"What's the deal, pacifier breath?" Yusuke griped. "You sent Botan screaming down here just to make us wait?"

"No." Koenma let his shoulders fall. "I have a case for you. I think it might be a decent challenge."

Botan twitched.

"An artifact was recently stolen from our vault. A set of armor that can make the user nearly invincible while enhancing their strength. The demon who claims to have it is already quite powerful and possibly equipped with several other weapons. I need you to retrieve the armor and attempt to arrest them." Koenma explained matter-of-factly.

"Arrest?" Kurama perked up. "Why?"

"They may have information pertinent to another problem I'm working on." He told the fox demon easily. "I suspect they are connected to the missing humans."

"What are the other weapons? Who is the demon?" Yusuke waved his hand in the air. "You're not giving us a lot of info, here."

"The demon wields a sword that can conjure flames and is quite destructive. In recent reports it appears he's amassed a bit of a cult following, and they've been attacking humans for food. Reports of poisons being used as well." The Spirit Prince explained. "But we don't know how many followers he actually has ascertained, or what their goal is. That's why I want him brought in alive if at all possible."

"Sir." Botan glanced at the screen.

Yusuke noticed the edge to her voice, the paleness of her face.

"Who is it?" Yusuke demanded. "I notice you haven't given up a name. Botan looks like she's about to have a stroke."

Koenma stiffened and grumbled. "The demon goes by the name Amon-Shinpi."

Kurama tilted his head toward the screen.

"I was under the impression the Takani Clan had all died." He offered, a dangerous cut in his voice.

"You know about this guy?" Kuwabara craned his head back to look at the redhead, mouthful of chips allowing crumbs to fall as he spoke.

"Not much. Just that Amon-Shinpi was known as a formidable demon back in his day. He was a part of a small clan who ruled their own small slice of Makai. He's said to have been undefeated until his death at the hands of another demon who wanted his power." Kurama explained. "It's possible that the battle ended with him just being injured."

"Sounds like another waste. This one can't possibly be stronger than us." Hiei noted. "What's the point?"

"Hiei! If this is really Amon-Shinpi you should take it seriously. This demon fought against Mukuro you know." Botan chided him. "Twice."

That earned his attention, his eyes moving over to her to assess if she was telling the truth. A demon who fought against Mukuro and survived? Once may have accounted for luck or her mercy, but twice? That _was_ an accomplishment.

"Fine." He allowed. "But if this is a disappointment, I'm taking it out on you."

His eyes were fixed to the screen to indicate Koenma as the recipient of his temper.

"Honestly, I hope it is. Our historical records suggest Amon-Shinpi could be quite brutal and was incredibly strong. Not to mention highly intelligent. If this is your opponent, you might want to stay on your toes."

"Could he cloak his presence?" Hiei wondered aloud.

"It's a possibility."

The team each exchanged looks with one another and then nodded.

"You got it, we're on the case." Yusuke offered a thumbs up and then slammed his fist into his palm. "This guy has no way of getting passed the four of us."

* * *

Iruni shouldered her bag higher as she crested the steps that lead up to the temple. A small line of sweat fell down her neck, an annoyance. The air seemed a bit cooler up here, a welcomed breeze dancing around her skin and through her ponytail. Closing her eyes she enjoyed it for a moment, then turned her face up to clear sky.

"Oh. Hello."

The soft call caught her attention, turning her eyes toward the young woman in a yellow dress. Aquamarine hair pulled back over her shoulders with a matching yellow ribbon, crimson eyes dancing with light.

"Are you here to see Genkai?" Yukina asked and Iruni nodded, noting the basket in her hands. She seemed to be struggling to hold it.

"I'm early." Iruni explained. "May I help you?"

"Oh, I couldn't ask yo-" Yukina's gentle dismissal was ignored, the basket carefully removed from her hands. Iruni's fingers brushed hers in the movement, a small contact, but it triggered some recognition in the demoness anyway. "You know, I've never been able to shake the idea that we've known each other a long time, Iruni."

"It does feel like a lifetime, doesn't it?" Iruni nodded following the other woman toward the clothes line.

Blue eyes cut over her shoulder, her expression falling into a snarl as she dropped the basket and rolled out of the way. Hiei landed where she'd been standing, pure bloodlust on his face as he stared at her. Schooling herself not to react to the waves of malice and fury rolling off of him was a feat.

Yukina blinked at him, alarmed by his sudden and hostile entrance. "Are you alright?"

He growled, not taking his eyes off of Iruni, not offering an answer.

Iruni raised an eyebrow at him as she gauged the way he faced her. Did he really see her as a threat? What had changed in the two days since the park? Had he used his Jagan and found her out?

No. If he had he would've known who she was and wouldn't be hesitating to approach her. He was on high alert for another reason, but what had tripped this reaction? She stole a glance at Yukina, then back to the fire demon as she straightened out, moving to step in front of the ice maiden.

She'd narrowed it down to two possible scenarios, either Hiei was furious because an unknown entity had come to close to Yukina, or he wanted the ice maiden for himself. Either way, the plan would be the same. Iruni would do whatever it took to keep her plan in action, even face Hiei in a pointless fight. But more than that, she would defend Yukina with her very life.

"Yukina, go inside. I won't let him hurt you." Iruni stepped one leg back, assuming a fighting stance.

"Wait." Yukina moved to get between them but Iruni pushed her back, carefully remaining in front, acting as a guard.

Yukina was one of the few beings still alive Iruni would actually fight for. She owed the koorime a debt that had yet to be repaid. While defending her might throw Hiei off her trail, if his intention was also to protect the ice apparition, that was aside from the fact she'd have done it anyway. Something dark entered her eyes as she squared off with the fire demon and he saw it.

For the first time, Hiei really looked at her. Even through her blouse her muscles were prominent. The billowy long sleeves helped to hide them, but there they were. Her stance reeked of training. The look in her blue eyes had darkened them to indigo and behind the gaze he recognized the mind of a trained fighter.

Perhaps even a killer.

His lips lifted in a baring of his teeth that was partially a smirk and mostly a snarl.

"That's an intense expression for a little human girl who has wandered too far from home." Hiei acknowledged.

"Watch who you call little." She told him coolly.

He flickered, appearing behind her with a raised hand. When he lowered it to strike her on the back of the neck she twisted away her knee slamming into his stomach with enough force to send him back a step.

In a full-fledged fight, she'd never win. Not now. But Hiei was holding back, she could tell. His energy was barely out. He still viewed her as human and as long as that was the case she might be able to win. All she had to do was let him underestimate her until the right moment presented itself.

Either his team would show him and stop him or she'd gain the upper hand.

Her eyes narrowed as she jumped back when he stepped forward, keeping space between them. Landing on her toes, she raised her fists. The look on Hiei's face turned malicious, the eyes of a predator enjoying dancing with his prey lighting his face. Were she a lesser being, she might've had the sense to be afraid. But she didn't have time for petty things like fear. Not when her goals were so close.

Not when Yukina still hadn't gone into the damned temple to get Genkai.

Hiei's biggest weaknesses were his pride and his tendency to assume his strength could resolve everything. If she managed to beat him, she'd be facing his temper for certain. But also his curiosity. Being beaten by a human woman would be a huge blow, one he'd want to deal back when he could. Even now, she could see it on his face that her hit had bothered him.

He would keep coming at her until he won, normally this would assure him victory. Unfortunately, she'd seen him fight before.

The fire demon didn't know it, but he'd already lost.

"Back off." She warned him. "I already told you, I won't let you hurt her."

"I'm not interested in hurting Yukina. Right now I'm interested in hurting you." Hiei pointed out, rolling his shoulders and then his neck.

She had enough time to question his use of the ice apparition's name before he blurred again, moving to strike her from behind. Iruni shook her head, not falling for his feign as he appeared in front of her this time. She side stepped his attack and this is how they continued for a few minutes. The team was around them soon, watching with fascination as she kept her defenses in place. She hadn't been able to strike him again, but she'd also managed to deftly avoided any of his attacks.

"Hiei, are you really fighting a girl?" Kuwabara complained. "Come on, man, have some class."

Hiei didn't seem to hear him as he sped up, and this time his punch landed on Iruni's abdomen, sending her flying back. She hit the ground and rolled before pushing herself back to her feet. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth but she raised her fists again, planting her feet even as her bones seemed to shake in her body.

"Stay down." Hiei demanded. "Another hit like that and I'll kill you."

"It's good that I don't intend to allow another." She pointed out, a grin growing.

Hiei stared at her, his teeth grinding together. Who did this mouthy woman think she was? Fine. She wanted to die? So be it. He drew his sword and she eyed the weapon without so much as a single ounce of fear.

"You're all the same. Overconfident in your own abilities." Hiei told her, rushing forward.

"Hiei!" The entire team yelled his name.

"You can't kill her!" Yusuke reminded him.

"What happened?" Kurama turned to Yukina, who explained Hiei's sudden appearance and the ensuing fight. "Ah, so they both believe they are defending you."

She nodded.

"Hiei, I think there's been a misunderstanding." Kurama called. "Mikamoto wasn't here to harm Yukina."

Hiei ignored him too. He sped at the woman while she dodged his initial swing, ready to slice into her stomach. She stopped suddenly. The blade cut through her shirt as she pivoted her body, her arms wrapping around his as she shifted her stance and sent him flying over her head. Panting, she smirked at him, watching as he lay stunned on the ground.

"What was it you said before? Stay down?" She tossed the words back at the demon, eyes gleaming.

Hiei didn't present any warning, his was just suddenly there. His sword thrust where Iruni's chest had been, his mind screaming for blood. How dare she? HOW DARE SHE?

"Perhaps before tossing out insults about overconfidence, you should be honest with yourself over your own capabilities." Iruni offered evenly, crouching on Hiei's sword with a neutral expression. A small pocket knife pressed against his forehead, the blade angled toward his Jagan eye. Blood spilled to the ground from her hand as she gripped the sword's blade to steady herself. "Don't move or you'll get cut. You'll have only yourself to blame."

Hiei shook in his rage, jaw locked, eyes radiating the fire brewing inside of him as he stared at Iruni. Her gaze back was cool, even, yet still carried a certain darkness to it. Her own anger buried under layers of careful masks.

"I'm going to back off now. Don't attack me again."

"Don't give me orders you foul little-"

"Hiei!" Yukina ran over. "What are you doing? You could've killed her! Are you alright Iruni?"

"I'm fine, Yukina. Thank you." The woman nodded, unmoving. "Please back away. I don't want you caught up in this one's temper."

"Hiei would never hurt me." Yukina sighed. "I was trying to tell you that from the beginning."

Iruni let go of the sword and slipped off of it, pocketing the knife and backing away from the fire demon slowly, her eyes never leaving him.

"You can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Genkai's voice rang over the group of them. They were surprised to see her staring at the blue eyed woman. "Did you have to drag it here with you?"

"I thought you might get bored with me otherwise, Master Genkai." Iruni bowed her head slightly. "Apologies for the commotion."

"Don't apologize unless you mean it, Mikamoto. Get inside. Your tea is ready." Genkai then looked at the others, who stared wordless. "You all might as well come too. I have a feeling you're all after the same thing."

"Jasmine with milk and honey?" Iruni turned her back on Hiei completely, offering the old woman a warm smile.

"Naturally." Genkai nodded and started moving toward the door as the other woman caught up with her.

"Wait, wait, wait. You two know each other?" Yusuke ran to catch up with them in the entry hall. He moved his eyes between the two women. "How? When? _Why?_ "

Iruni glanced at him, but didn't answer. Genkai looked at the woman over her shoulder, then let her eyes rove toward Yusuke.

"We met when Sensui almost destroyed the barrier." Genkai explained easily. "She'd encountered a problem around that time and needed my help."

Iruni nodded, taking a seat across from Genkai at the table that had been set up for them. Posture perfect, she accepted her tea as Yukina offered it and tossed a dazzling smile at the youkai. "As always, thank you, Yukina."

Hiei visibly bristled at the display. Kuwabara and Yusuke both edged away from the demon, keeping themselves out of immediate striking range.

"I hadn't realized you were sensitive." Kurama turned his attention to his classmate, mentally flipping back through years of their interactions.

"I'm not. That's not why I came." She shook her head, then frowned as she picked at the cut in her shirt. Not saying anything, but her face expressing all of her disappointment, she lifted the teacup and sipped. Her gaze fell on Kuwabara though, having to cut to the side to see him as her head tilted just slightly to the side as if she were listening to something far away.

He swallowed, not quite sure what to call the sensation pricking at his nape. It wasn't fear, exactly. But again, even as his eyes strained he couldn't pick up her aura. Only the intense emptiness where her energy should have been. And she'd caught him staring, fixing him with that look that sent his senses reeling.

Then her lips lifted, her eyes moving away without addressing the situation at all.

"So, what are you doing here?" Yusuke demanded of the woman, slamming his hand on the table and resting his other fist on his hip.

"I made an appointment." She told him coarsely, eyes pinching slightly. "Which, perhaps, you should have thought to do."

"Fat chance of that." Genkai snorted. "Yusuke doesn't think about anything until it's happening. He's a creature of pure instinct and came here without calling, as usual."

"Yeah, well, this is important business grandma." The half demon turned to face the old psychic. "And don't pretend you're bothered by me popping by."

"Popping by would imply you didn't have to take a train to get here." Genkai snapped at him. "Now shut up and sit down. Mikamoto is right, she made an appointment. And she was here first."

"This is ridiculous." Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes. "We're on a timeline."

"If you'd all stop griping like children, I would be able to ask my questions and go." Iruni closed her eyes, sipping the tea as a chill entered her tone.

Hiei snapped his gaze to her, lips curling back over his teeth. "You might not want to run your mouth."

"I haven't heard anything new." Genkai ignored Hiei and fixed her attention on the woman across from her.

"I have." Iruni sighed, pulling her hair down from her ponytail and allowing it fall around her in a cascade of black ink, her fingers running through the strands to pick out the debris her match with Hiei had left behind. "However, I'm concerned with what I learned. I wanted your advice. I met a woman who told me she thought she knew who had the sword. Naturally I was overjoyed at first. But she implied it was a demon, a strong one. I'm not sure how to proceed."

"You don't. Hiei was going easy on you and you barely managed to survive. My advice is to forget about it." Genkai sipped her own tea, the callous statement falling easily from her lips. "Even you have your limits."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Iruni's gaze softened, warmed as she stared at her hands, folded neatly on the table now. Then her fingers tightened as she interlaced them. "But I can't help but feel like I need to see him with my own eyes. I want to see the face of the demon who stole from me."

"Did you get a name?" Genkai seemed to think she knew the answer.

"I did, but I don't believe its accurate. From the lens of my research at least." Iruni let her hands relax. "The name I was given was Amon-Shinpi, but I have no reason to believe that to be true. It's likely an imposter."

"Likely?" Genkai barely smiled, but seemed amused none the less.

"How do you know that name?" Kurama asked her, walking around so he could view Iruni's face while he questioned her. "And more than that, how do you know anything about demons?"

"I'm a descendent of one." As lightly as the truth flew from her lips, it landed with a thud on the minds of each of the men in the room. "My great-great grandmother, Kuya, was a demon. According to family lore, that is, and Genkai helped me to verify it."

Kurama glanced to Genkai who nodded, acknowledging the truth in the words.

"So, how do you know about Amon-Shinpi?" Kurama's gaze probed her, searching for lies.

Perfect. She had to fight the urge to smile, her plan clicking into place perfectly, even with the heavy heat of Hiei's gaze beating against her back. She might be sore tomorrow, but she'd be on her way to the last stages of this plot.

"I came across the name in my research. When I searched through my ancestry and came across my demonic heritage, I dove into all the books I could find. I wanted to learn everything I could about demons, their world, their habits. That led me to Master Genkai. She was able to help me confirm my lineage and verify some of the information I'd learned." Iruni explained, allowing one hand to gesture in the air, her face carefully neutral.

Whether it was her story or the fact he couldn't sense the lies, she couldn't say, but Kurama looked bothered.

"Unfortunately, all the works I'd gathered were destroyed in the fire a few years ago. It's all up here now." Iruni tapped her temple. "But my mind is a steel trap."

"Which only makes you more hard headed." Genkai complained. "I've warned her off this path several times and she insists she can handle it."

"Not like anyone is going to miss me if something happens." Iruni laughed, a slightly bitter sound.

Kurama frowned, suddenly remembering the fire she mentioned. Tidbits that had scattered through his memory about this woman rushed back, and he pieced together her history with them. She'd always been a quiet, reserved girl. She played violin when they were in grade school. She also participated in cross country and archery. They'd gone to different high schools, losing contact.

Not that he would have reached out to her, they'd rarely spoken.

But he did recall seeing her family name mentioned in the paper a few years before. A terrible incident. Her mother had been stabbed to death by her estranged husband, who then attempted to burn the house to the ground with Iruni still inside. It was something that had stuck out to him, the name familiar but too distant for him to really care.

Now as he looked at the way she studied her empty teacup, he realized he wasn't the only one who had thought that way. Even now, in the last semester of college as they were, she had no friends he could name. No associations. A life devoid of connections, except apparently Genkai and Yukina.

Is that why she threw herself into the fray to protect the ice maiden? Is that why she didn't seem in a hurry to leave? She was enduring his questions with uncharacteristic tolerance.

"So the books are destroyed. That _sucks_." Yusuke complained, tossing his head back. "We really could have used them."

"Why?" Iruni squinted at him.

"We're looking for this asshole too. Our sources seem to think it might actually be Amon-Shinpi for real." The team leader didn't bother looking at her, his attention moving to his mentor. "You don't have copies here, do you? I thought old bats like you kept copies of everything just in case."

"Idiot. They weren't my books. I don't have anything on the subject here. It's too obscure." Genkai snapped at him. "Why would I have a book on one particular demon out of the millions?"

"Don't bite my head off, grandma!" Yusuke yelled back at her. "It was just a question."

"A stupid question, as usual. Ask Koenma for information. I'm not a damn library." Genkai glared at her pupil.

Iruni sat back in her chair, her eyes scanning over them. Every word devoured and locked away. Her scrutiny brought her to Kurama's face and she didn't hide her interest from him. Let him see it, it would only make her seem more genuine. If she seemed curious, caught off guard, it would help.

"I've been trying to recreate my notes." She announced, blinking at Yusuke. "I hadn't quite gotten to Amon-Shinpi yet, but I can try to write out what I remember tonight. Shuichi can retrieve the notes from me tomorrow and give them to you, if that's alright. I can't guarantee they'll help very much though."

Yusuke stopped mid-insult, mouth still hanging open. "Really?"

She nodded and then a dangerous glint entered her eyes. "Well, on a condition, that is."

"A condition?" Kurama frowned, glancing at Genkai.

The old woman looked bothered, but it was more annoyance and frustration than fear. She knew what was about to be asked and didn't like it, but not for the reasons he had suspected. That was interesting.

"If I'm right, you're looking for the information because you intend to fight." Iruni told them. "I want to come with you."

"No." Hiei was the one who answered, sliding off the window sill to walk over to the others. "I won't be put in charge of babysitting another useless waste like her. She'd only be good for bait. Although-"

"Hey man, just because she embarrassed you doesn't mean you get to be a dick." Kuwabara glared at the shorter mon.

"It's bad enough you'll be coming. We don't need another distraction." Hiei scoffed, crimson eyes boring into the woman in question. "Genkai is right. I barely tried and almost killed her. Imagine if someone without restraint got ahold of her."

"Well, consider it." Iruni shrugged.

"You said this demon stole from you. What did he take?" Yusuke eyed the woman. His suspicion showed in the way he squinted at her, getting too close to her face.

"A family heirloom. A sword." She told him dully. "I've been looking for it for ages. It went missing after the fire."

"Sword?" Kuwabara tapped his chin. "It didn't have any weird magical abilities did it?"

"It's a sword." Iruni rolled her eyes. "It was just an old sword in a red scabbard that belonged to my great grandfather. It's sentimental to me."

Genkai raised an eyebrow at the bold honesty in those words. And these boys were eating it up. Of course they were. Idiots. She had to commend Iruni though, on her talent for bending words to her will. All the information she gave them was easily assessable if they knew where to look, and therefore worthless. But she made it sound like she was divulging powerful secrets to confidants.

But one thing was certain, she was right, if she faced this threat alone she'd likely die. Her energy was still a gaping hole at this point and she didn't seem to be in a hurry to alter that. Genkai had offered a handful of times to help her unlock her power, and each time was refused.

"I'll write the notes either way." She stood and pressed the lines of her slacks, once again toying with the cut in her shirt with a grimace. "Just let me know your answer."

"There are other ways to get what we need." Hiei spoke, the dangerous edge to his brusque voice trailing behind the woman as she walked away. "We don't actually need you."

"Oh, that's right, here." Yukina rushed over to Iruni and handed her a few pieces of parchment. Crimson eyes traced the shape of the wards. "Genkai prepared these for you as you asked."

"My sincerest thanks." Iruni bowed her head to Genkai then smiled at Yukina. Her eyes scanned over to Hiei, the papers in her hands tipping down. "Well, good luck with your other options."

She'd done it on purpose, let him see the wards against psychic invasions. Against his Jagan. His fist curled in his pockets, his glower fixed on where she'd been standing.

"May I walk you out, Mikamoto?" Kurama rushed to follow her out, walking passed the agitated demon to do so.

"If you insist." Her tone had returned to the cool, casual tone she normally used as she stepped to the side allowing Kurama to lead the way.

But Hiei didn't miss the slight smirk that crossed her face as she turned away, following at the fox's heels like a trained dog.

"Why did she need wards?" Hiei demanded immediately, turning to face Genkai. "You've just armed a potential enemy."

"Mikamoto isn't interested in fighting you. She's not an enemy." Genkai told him. "Stubborn, yes, but not inherently evil."

"I would have liked to judge her for myself." Hiei growled at her. "Were the seals your idea or hers?"

"Hers. But I think they were a suggestion from another friend after her encounter with your group the other day. Shikari is a flighty creature, prone to rolling over and showing her belly at the first sign of trouble." Genkai explained.

Hiei thought about that. "The blonde woman. Yes, I remember her. She was petrified of us. So, that foul woman accepts the advice of skittish apparitions?"

"I'm sure you'll get your chance to judge her when Yusuke inevitably accepts her offer to help." Genkai thumbed toward her pupil, as he stood with his hands on his hips, a grin growing on his face. "He's already got that dumbass smile on."

Hiei had to agree. Only trouble would follow now. But he didn't miss the way the old psychic deftly avoided answering his question. Genkai's protection of the woman earned his interest. If nothing else, that meant she was worth watching. The rest was going to be a waiting game at this point.


	3. The Cusp

**A/N:** **So, I'm in the process of moving and its an utter nightmare, but this has been a good distraction. I have chapter 4 prewritten as well, and it's a bit of a change. I wrote it from Iruni's perspective entirely. I don't regularly write in first person but I felt like it was a good choice for the content and to get to know her character a bit more and her motives. Anyway.**

 **The Cusp- in which the team accepts Iruni's help and her plan gets set into motion.**

* * *

Kurama walked beside Iruni over the expanse of the temple's lawn. The laundry basket from earlier lay forgotten a few yards away, disregarded in the heat of battle, most of the clothes still inside. He paused to note the impression in the grass from where Iruni had been thrown. The back of her shirt bore stains of brown and green from the impact. Blades of green wilted to brown, likely where Hiei had landed and his rage had grown palpable.

"Dangerous company you keep." Iruni earned his attention, standing at the top of the stone steps. Her study of him was careful, precise, but also detached. "I'm surprised. I had always taken you for a milder personality."

"It seems we both have our secrets." Kurama allowed with a smile. "I would have never taken you for someone with demonic lineage."

"Because I'm not like your friend." She stated this as fact, not a question, blue eyes flicking toward the temple where the others waited. "You can relax if you're worried about it. I'm not a mazoku. Genkai has already done her tests on me. They came up empty."

For reasons she wouldn't disclose. The old woman alone knew her secret and it would remain that way until it absolutely could not. It would have been hard for her to be half-demon and containing a demon's spirit all at once. Though she bet it would have sent Spirit World into a panicked flurry if it had been the case. Sardonic amusement flitted over her face for a moment at the idea of it, but died away quickly.

"Were you hoping to be?" Kurama tilted his head to ask the question, and despite his best effort his curiosity didn't ring innocence.

She saw the guarded malice underneath his surface. Precise, careful, intelligent and cold Kurama. Ready to defend his friends. Ready to fight. She shrugged and closed her eyes, folding her hands behind her head as she began her descent.

He joined her in seconds, matching her stride easily.

"I think they'll decide to let you come." He told her after a few more moments of silence. "After all, it sounds like you have information we desperately need. Although, I might advise you to avoid using those."

He tapped the parchments in her hands with a sly smile.

"Hiei doesn't appreciate being thwarted, and you doing it twice in a day won't win you any points with him." Kurama explained when she crooked a questioning eyebrow.

"What do these have to do with him?" Iruni squinted at the fox, coming to a stop two steps behind him. It allowed her to look down at his face unobscured.

And Kurama seemed to realize his mistake as soon as she'd spoken, his eyes widening only for a nanosecond before he shook his head and waved a hand to dismiss her question. His noncommittal deference only caused her to tip her head to the side. For a moment, he'd forgotten that just because she'd encountered Hiei didn't mean she knew about the Jagan. He'd simply assumed that was the need for the talismans.

Now he struggled to answer her question without possibly giving up valuable information, while also trying to discern if she was tricking him or not.

Why did she need psychic protection wards if not to use against Hiei?

Iruni watched him flounder with wary amusement. She probably shouldn't be toying with them this way, not when she was trying to earn their trust, but she couldn't help it. How many chances did one get to pull one over on Kurama of all demons? Of course the wards were to protect her from Hiei.

But for just a moment, she got to see Kurama look uncertain and it was a treat.

"Tell me about your friend, Shikari." He deflected her question with a warm smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

Her eyes traced the movement, knowing full well what he was doing but unable to let him see it. Part of her tensed, waiting for the rose to appear in his fingertip when his hand fell away. But it didn't. So she stepped down to his side once more and continued to walk, chatting easily, but without offering too much. The basics that could be verified without too much effort. That she and Shikari had met a few years before. That Shikari offered her information about Demon World and helped her find this missing heirloom.

Kurama listened with rapt attention, not bothering to disguise his genuine interest. It made it deceptively easy to speak to him, when he prompted her so gently with his questions. But still, Iruni locked herself up, her guard higher than his charm could reach.

"And Yukina? How did you two meet?"

"She saved my life, but I doubt she thinks of it as such." Iruni's expression softened considerably, her eyes fixed on a distant memory as she smiled.

Yukina.

That precious little girl with a heart of gold, despite her frigid upbringing. A treasure to behold. The ice maiden reminded Iruni of her own sister who had long before died. That intense, radiating innocence. There was no defense against that power and only two things came of it: you wanted to protect it or you wanted to crush it.

Her mind took her to a lifetime before, when she'd been wayward and struck. The child's kindness had thawed her heart for a moment and she'd never forget that. She had yet to repay the woman still, but she was working on it. One thing at a time.

"I'd like to hear more of that story someday." Kurama offered her a smile full of kindness.

Iruni's heart skipped a beat, her blood running cold as her confusion grew at the expression. A genuine smile, full of warmth and interest. From Kurama? Was this a trick? Her eyes fell to the ground as her mind raced to connect dots that were nowhere near each other. Kindness was unexpected from this one, especially of the genuine variety. She'd been prepared for a polite yet one-sided interrogation, not an actual conversation.

"Maybe we could talk more." She responded carefully. "After this business is done."

He nodded as their feet landed on the cobblestones at the base of the steps. His hands carefully hidden in his pockets.

Readying an attack? No. Not here, he'd have done it where the others could have come quickly. A habit, then. Her adrenaline slowed as quickly as it appeared. She waited for him to say something, crossing an arm behind her back to grab her other forearm, watching his face without much of an expression.

A gentle breeze swept between them, curling through their hair and around their bodies. A secret for her to keep, as a distant memory came along with the tendrils of wind, and with it confidence in her abilities. If Kurama did attack, she could deflect it. His speed wasn't nearly as impressive as Hiei's and despite his reputation, he was quite the humanitarian.

"I'll hold you to that." He told her with warmth that glittered in his eyes.

Her cheeks colored, pink rising up despite herself. So this was the Shuichi all the women flocked toward. She could feel the pull. His eyes sparkled with good intentions, his soothing voice telling of his gentle nature. And yet, she felt this was a trap. A way to undermine her obvious defenses. So she narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin.

This one was far too charming but she was too stubborn for fall for his tricks.

"You'd be lucky to hold me at all." She snorted the quip then widened her eyes in surprise at herself.

Kurama laughed. "You've got more spirit than you let on."

He had no idea how right he was. But she was glad her mistake hadn't cost her anything important, merely an embarrassed flush and some pride.

"Did you want my address?" She tilted her head then, a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. "Or perhaps my personal number, Shuichi?"

"Are we on a first name basis now?" He pulled a pen and paper from his pocket, ever the prepared one. "Seems forward of you, _Iruni._ "

"You didn't know? Once you share your evil ancestry with someone you are immediately on a first name basis." She told him dryly, writing out the information and he laughed again. "I'll work on the notes tonight."

"Thank you." He nodded, accepting her offering with a brush of long fingers over her own.

Iruni left him then, turning on heel and glancing back to make sure he'd not bothered to follow her. Her back remained straight until she got to the train where she was sure she was alone. There she let the pain of the fight show, wincing as she touched her bruised shoulder. She was lucky it was still in the socket, the impact of her fall had been intense. And the graze of Hiei's sword had let a mark on her stomach. Bruised ribs, aching joints and a pounding head.

Genkai was right. She'd barely survived that fight. Annoyed, she pressed her head against the cool glass of the train as it rushed down the tracks back toward the city. It helped ease the throbbing growing in her skull. Clutching the wards tighter in her fist, she closed her eyes.

Underprepared and severely outclassed. But Kurama seemed confident they'd allow her to come. She only had to get there. After that, their advantage over her wouldn't matter anymore.

Once she got that sword, it would all be worth it.

* * *

"Clever fox." Hiei smirked, amused by Kurama's antics as usual, as he paced down the street with the team two days later. "Or should I say, foolish woman?"

"I wouldn't in such a hurry to call Mikamoto a fool, Hiei. She has obviously been far more aware than we gave her credit for." Kurama lulled his response, hands in the pockets of his jeans at the team walked.

"You mean than _you_ gave her credit for." Hiei noted, not adding his thought that Kurama had only bothered to plant the seeds on the woman out of sheer spite for deceiving him.

Which was why they were here. Kurama had accepted Iruni's address and while she'd been distracted by his hand brushing hers, he'd placed a sprinkling of burr like seeds over her shoes and the rolled cuff of her pants. He'd been able to sense her general location since, which helped them confirm her address and her routine.

Genkai had suggested the ploy wasn't necessary, but Kurama wasn't so sure. Iruni held more secrets than he liked and was apparently good enough at hiding them that he hadn't even been aware how many there were. Genkai had also confirmed that the seals were likely against Hiei, advice given by Shikari, but the extent of Iruni's knowledge was largely unknown. He hadn't enjoyed learned that either. He figured if she'd found the seeds, she'd have plucked them off. And if she could sense energy, she'd have noticed them immediately.

And yet, it seemed she hadn't. For a few days he'd been able to follow her loosely around the city, and she'd been none the wiser. She'd also been far less interesting than he'd hoped. Her demon accomplice hadn't come around and the woman herself hadn't done much more than attend classes and go back to her house.

"I didn't know you could use those things to track people." Kuwabara walked backwards, arms folded behind his head.

"If I infuse them with my energy, I can sense where they are." Kurama flexed his hand around the extra seeds cradled there, then released them into the depths of his pockets. "It's not a trick I need to use very often."

"Crafty bastard." Yusuke cut his eyes behind him, grinning.

"Apparently not as crafty as I wished." Kurama came to a stop in front of the small house, eying the unusual flowers growing by the gate. Small iridescent purple petals and thin, sharp leaves. He frowned. The plant was innocuous enough for something pried out of the Makai, but still, he hadn't intended for it to be planted.

And when, exactly, had they been planted? Because he was sure as of yesterday evening that she'd still had the seeds on her shoes.

"They just sprung up. I noticed them this morning." An elderly woman smiled at the group of men, picking her way down the sidewalk with a cane. "Poor girl hasn't bothered with gardening in years. I'm glad to see something new growing."

"Would this, by chance, be the Mikamoto residence?" Kurama offered his warmest, kindest smile to the old woman and watched its effect as she blushed, bobbing her head readily.

"She's not in though." The elderly woman continued to smile. "Left first thing this morning."

The team exchanged a look while Kurama thanked her. She went on her way as they congregated near the gate, trying to decide their next move. They'd come to inform the woman she could join them, providing she had relevant information to their case. If she could identify their target as an imposter, it would be greatly helpful.

"Do you think she ran off and got herself killed?" Hiei asked hopefully, not in a hurry to endure the woman's company again. His pride still felt sore from their fight two days before. Sure, he could have killed her, but the fact she'd managed even her miniscule victory rubbed him the wrong way.

"You're blocking my gate." Iruni voiced from behind them, arms laden with grocery bags as she scowled at them. "Please move. These are heavy."

Not to mention uncomfortable. Her arms were still sore from her fight, her shoulder a murky purple-blue at this point, and the weight of the straps had become an endurance test of controlling her reactions. When the team parted, allowing her to slip through, she went directly to the door and pushed it open. It wasn't until after she disappeared inside that Yusuke started to follow her.

"Yo. You need help?" He tilted his head, craning around the entry hall to peek into the kitchen.

"Now that the hard part is done? Certainly." The dry response earned her a flat stare. "Well, don't just stand there letting the air out. Get in."

They followed her irritated command easily, the door shutting a little too loudly behind Hiei who initially refused to walk further into the house than the entry. Partially because he didn't want to take off his shoes, mostly because he didn't want to be there at all.

The other three hung about uselessly, meandering on the cusp of the kitchen and hall. Yusuke couldn't help himself, his eyes scanning around what he could see of the house with all the interest of a child entering a new store. Kuwabara too, looked around, though mainly his focus kept coming back to the dark haired woman putting away her groceries. Kurama smiled at her, but received no such courtesy back, as she rolled her eyes away, still set on her silent task.

The walls in the entry were empty, other than the hooks for coats that were currently bare. Further down the hall too, the walls remained a clean white. The kitchen offered space for a single apron to hang, but nothing else on these walls either. The counters were as cleared as possible, clean. The table only adorned by coasters, napkins and salt and pepper shakers. No magnets or pictures on the refrigerator. Very personal effects at all, it seemed.

"You can sit at the table." Iruni nodded toward the small in-kitchen table, set up with three chairs with the fourth side pressed to the wall. From the wear of the varnish, it appeared she generally only used one spot. The typed notes were already laid out there, ready to be reviewed.

Kurama pulled the top sheet away and scanned over the contents with interest. Every so often he cut his attention back to Iruni, watching as she prepared tea and food for herself. She didn't offer any more prodding or direction to them.

"Aren't you dying in that shirt?" Kuwabara eyed the small women with heavy speculation. The long sleeved blouse seemed unseasonable in the growing warmth of the quickly approaching summer. "I'm in shorts and I'm already sweating."

"I'm fine." She told him, not bothering to look over her shoulder as she spoke.

Kurama passed the pages around the table as he read through them. The sparse notes were very cut and dry, matter of fact. A physical description of the demon they should expect to see. A quick overview of the artifacts in his possession. A brief summary of Amon-Shinpi's character and power, though these descriptions were vague.

"Who told you about the armor?" Yusuke asked her, moving slowly through the words.

"Genkai. I called and asked if there was more information I should try to find for you. She gave me a list of items and told me to describe them." Iruni placed a tray on the table, five teacups and a plate of light snacks. "Is your dour friend content haunting my hall?"

"Hn. I hadn't realized this was going to be all day affair." Hiei voiced from behind her.

The immediate reaction to his presence caught his attention, and Kurama's from the look of it. Her back straightened, pulse rising, as she quickly stepped away to keep space between them. The startled look on her face almost satisfied him. Good. She'd learned her lesson then. But the way she flinched from his presence with a resolute glare suggested another reason for her movement.

"You can relax. I'm not going to attack you." Hiei told her, helping himself to the snacks. "You humans are so skittish. Where is all that fire you had before?"

She didn't answer him. Something he noted, as he lifted his attention to her once again. His eyes flicked to her shoulder and she flinched under the sudden scrutiny, turning away from him slightly, as if to shield the left side of her body from his view. Now that was interesting. Was she still injured from their skirmish? Amusing. Humans truly were a waste of energy.

"Something wrong?" He asked, a deliberate smirk crossing his features. "You look frightened."

"Hiei, don't be a dick." Yusuke called and the fire demon rolled his eyes. "Who wouldn't be scared of your creepy ass sneaking up behind them? You still give me the willies and I've known you forever."

"I'm not afraid of him." Iruni's terse response to Yusuke made him lift his eyebrows. "I'm just not eager to find myself at his mercy again."

"So you admit it." Hiei gestured to her then, now thoroughly enjoying himself. "That you are utterly outclassed?"

"I admit that I don't have the strength to beat you, yes. However, I am positive I have way more class than you." She shot back at him, and the comeback made the others chuckle.

"Might want to check your tongue before you lose it." Hiei advised, still smirking. "Since you're trying to _avoid_ starting another fight with me. I won't bother with mercy next time."

"I don't intend on there being a next time." She told him firmly, nostrils flaring. The momentary break in usual composure ended quickly as she collected herself. "Is the information helpful?"

"Yes, quite." Kurama nodded.

"If she provided us with everything, we should go." Hiei pointed out. "What's the use of bringing cannon fodder along?"

"We told her we'd take her." Yusuke shrugged, watching the woman bounce her eyes over them. "He's an ass, just ignore him."

What poor advice for him to offer. Hiei was a practiced killer. If she ignored him she'd be setting herself up for a potential attack. Even with his friends around, he didn't seem all that interested in adhering to Spirit World's rules about not attacking humans. She imagined it was a constant burden to him.

"I'll be able to identify the sword." She told them as a unit. "You're worried this demon has the Takani blade, yes? I suspect what he has is my family heirloom, but I'll be able to tell you once I see it. That alone should be sufficient reason to bring me."

"You could just tell what it looks like." Kuwabara suggested. "Not that I agree with Hiei, but it doesn't sit well with me that we're dragging you along. This could be really dangerous and scary."

"I could, but I won't." She forced a smile and it looked as fake as it felt.

"You're awfully determined, aren't you?" Kurama smiled and it touched his eyes.

Yes, she was. He had no idea. And his false friendliness wasn't going to sway her. She was going with them and that was going to be the end of it. With the ward securely in place in her hair, hidden in the strands beneath her bun, they couldn't count on Hiei to pry the information out of her. Taking her was their only choice. But they still seemed skeptical, at odds with the idea.

Fine.

Then she'd have to use a secondary element to boost the odds into her favor. It would be risky, but knowing their personalities, it should work.

Iruni toed the ground, a slight blush coming into her cheeks while chewed the inside of her lip. Then, resolute and obviously embarrassed, she spoke quietly, as though she didn't really want them to hear her.

"I also, well, I'd like to see you fight." She muttered, refusing to meet their eyes.

Honestly, she didn't need to see them. Their smug surprise at her statement was all but a physical presence in the room. Kuwabara whispered a soft, but heartfelt 'Oh', as Yusuke made a sound of barely contained pride. Kurama shifted in his seat to view Hiei, who glared at the woman, then his teammates.

Idiots. A bunch of idiots he was stuck with.

He'd been defeated in this crusade. He could already see it in Urameshi's eyes.

"You want to see us fight, huh? Has the old bat been talking us up?" Yusuke flexed his arm and grinned.

Offering a slight nod, Iruni dared to look at them and her blush grew brighter. Turning away from them completely she stiffly walked over to her counter and busied herself with some meaningless task.

"Genkai talks about you a lot." Iruni huffed. "About how strong, but thick-skulled, her apprentice is. I never thought I'd get to meet you."

"You want to see me fight?" Yusuke pointed at himself, self-satisfied and gleaming.

"Genkai doesn't say much about the others, if anything at all. Generics. Yukina has spoken to me about Kuwabara though. But I'd really like to see what Genkai's dimwit is like in action." Iruni stopped her fingers from peeling the label off of the can in her hands.

It wasn't that far from the truth. Genkai had told her a lot about Yusuke and his antics. She complained mostly, but Iruni always saw the muted pride on her face. Even the affectionate, disparaging nicknames and comments were enough to tell her that their bond was special. She really did want to see him in action again, considering his growth. Setting the can back on the counter and ignoring the corner she'd been subconsciously worrying over, she stared down at her hands, nearly forgetting the men in her kitchen or why they were there for a moment as she lost herself in her thoughts.

Genkai suggested Yusuke had grown so exponentially in just a few years that she'd hardly believed the woman. But Genkai did not lie. Not to her, not to anyone that she knew. And through the previous weeks of her spying, she'd been forced to acquiesce. Yusuke was forged of something new, unbreakable and wholly bright. This man was a far cry different from the snot-nosed little shit she'd witnessed battling it out during the Dark Tournament years before. In many ways the same, but those were less important. It lined his body, edged his movements, the strength he'd gained and the confidence to wield it.

Iruni closed her hands into fists, mind focused on a distant desire.

If some half-blooded child could grow this way, surely she could too. Her mind turned to Kurama and his inordinate progress. She'd been in school with him most of their lives. She'd watched his power slowly ease its way back into him, watched him grow. And again, the last few years had seen such a lurch in that movement she'd been surprised by his presence when they'd entered their first university class together. Very much the same gentle faced young man, with those careful, intense eyes of his. But also so different. Faster, lighter in personality, more demonic that she'd ever seen him when he walked silently through the hall with that secret knowing smile he wore.

He was her canary, this existence her coalmine. If Kurama could work his power through his limbs with such grace, carry it like a badge, she could too. Even as the thought struck her, she dismissed it, her lips pressing into a line.

The problem was her lack of a catalyst, something she'd known for years. These men had seen their battles, worked for what they had. Their power hadn't come to them naturally, it had been carefully cultivated through years of toil and experience. Just as hers had once come to her. But while they'd been battling demons who far outclassed them, she'd been a spectator.

A coward.

Hiding.

Breathing out through her nose she narrowed her gaze on her fists, tightening them. Hiding from _him_. Trying to keep herself cloaked in anonymity. Avoiding any degree of attention. That's why she was so desperate for the sword. Even with this handicap, the sword would be more than enough.

She was so close. So very close.

She could practically feel the rough binding of the hilt in her palms, creating callouses as the weight extended through her arm as another piece of herself. How she longed for it. The desire to test the sharpness on the pad of her thumb. The way it cut through her enemies like the embodiment of her will.

So, so, very close.

Her eyes moved slowly to the side, realizing only then how intently Hiei focused on her. His gaze seared her, locking her into place. Whatever showed on her face had betrayed some piece of her thoughts, she was sure. Her mistake, losing herself in this moment. But the Jaganshi didn't seem alarmed. If anything, his expression rang of mild interest, maybe judgement. Her back remained to the others and she moved her eyes away from his face without saying a word about his staring.

The ward would keep her safe for now.

"When do we leave?" It was intentional, turning away from the fire demon and facing the others with her back to him.

Any other moment in her life and she wouldn't have dared to give her back. It would have been a rookie mistake, but he was proverbially chained and she needed him to continue thinking of her as a sloppy child. So, for the second time despite her raging instincts, she kept him behind her. He needed to question her ability to survive. They all did. They needed to believe that without them she'd die on this mission. It would keep them too close to see anything else.

"Tonight." Yusuke told her with a wide grin. "You sure you want to do this? You looked a little freaked out there."

"I'm sure." She nodded firmly, planting her feet in a natural stance. "Trust me, there is no other place I'd rather be."

Probably one of the first honest things she'd said to them, and it would probably be one of the last.


	4. Historical Inaccuracies

**This chapter is entirely from Iruni's point of view. I wanted to warn everyone of the shift from third to first person because whoa buddy would that be confusing. Also, I want to say thank you to everyone who reviews and reads. It means a lot to me, and I love hearing from you all. I also just like that people are reading this story considering how long and inconsistently I've been in and out of this game. Anyway, this following week will be a bit hectic for me but I have the next chapter drafted. As well as roughly 87 pages worth of story. Finessing it into something coherent will be an ordeal, but I'll give it my all.**

 **Chapter 4- Historical Inaccuracies: In which the team faces down Amon-Shinpi's supposed goons and Iruni drops her guarded secret because she's petty.**

* * *

I adjusted the sleeves of my jacket, glad I'd brought it to ward off the evening's chill. Yusuke had stayed true to his word and we were picking our way through a dark forest toward the source of everyone's chagrin. The team prepared themselves to battle a monster. I prepared myself to take what was mine. I could almost taste the sweet thrill of success already. Father had always warned me not to get ahead of my circumstances, but it was a character flaw that seemed to follow me from one life to the next.

They kept me in the middle of the group, just I'd anticipated. On my left, Kuwabara worked to keep in step with me. A noticeable effort on his part seeing as how his stride was twice as long as my own. But he seemed determined to stay beside me, scanning from left to right with palpable concentration. Endearing.

Urameshi led the charge, swaggering at the point position, leading us toward certain victory. His large brown eyes would glance back at me every so often, to gauge my confidence I'm sure. If he expected me to waver, he was mistaken. I kept my expression arranged, carefully neutral. He never let his attention linger for too long.

Kurama walked at my back. Not ideal, but I couldn't show my discomfort. The fox hadn't seemed to guess at my deception so far. I was probably safe.

I don't enjoy dealing in uncertainties. I prefer more control. I like to know my odds.

I also don't trust him. Youko had been a devious, deceitful apparition. A legend, sure. Impressive in a variety of ways. But I would never have given him my back. Not in this life or the previous. I'm not nearly young or naïve enough to make that mistake. And yet, there he was, diligently bringing up the rear.

Hiei was home in the trees, flitting through the branches with practiced stealth. Buried in shadow, his presence was only discernable because I searched for him. That was another demon I didn't want surprising me.

I didn't trust Kurama.

I straight loathed Hiei.

Every time I glimpsed him, his cloak, his shadow, those bloody red eyes, my shoulder rolled of its own accord. An involuntary reaction. The tender, bruised flesh remembered his assault as if it had a mind of its own.

More than once I caught his gaze fixed on me. My twitch seemed to amuse him.

Bastard.

He wouldn't be laughing by the end of the night. I had to fight down a smile at the thought of it. Soon, so soon, I would have my prize. Despite my efforts the corners of my mouth tipped up.

Years. I'd been hunting for my sword for years. Twenty-three to be exact. All my wretched existence. And now it was so _close_. I could nearly wrap my hands around the hilt. All I had to do was walk into the demon's lair with the all-too-eager team of men.

At the start of our trek, Hiei had suggested simply using me for bait.

He had no idea our positions were reversed.

They would battle the grunts, I'd use that as my distraction and head off the imposter. Child's play. If I was lucky, I'd flee without incident as they continued to grapple with their opponents.

I don't believe in luck.

I wouldn't get out of this without a fight. Hiei, more than likely, would leap at the chance to challenge me again.

My shoulder rolled.

No. I couldn't fight him again. Not now, anyway. I'd never survive it. If he knew what I was he'd come at me without mercy, full strength. I couldn't handle an all-out battle with an S-class demon, much less four of them as I'm sure the rest of the team wouldn't be far behind.

My fingers toyed with the only weapon I brought. An Infinity Chain. Thin, innocuous, but quite useful. Tied around my wrist as it was it could've been mistaken for a set of silver bracelets. I hated the damned thing. Finding it had been an ordeal. I'd had to enlist Shikari's help. I don't like asking for help. Even then, I'd done most of the work actually retrieving it. The weapon had been forged by someone I knew _before_. But my hate was centered needing it at all, not the quality of the weapon.

I used to be a king.

I used to be powerful. I faced down armies on my own and came out the victor. I guarded my family and protected our lands.

I was a sentinel.

Now? Now I was nothing. A distorted reflection of my former self. A checker piece on a chess board.

But with the sword, I could rise again. I could finally win this quarter century long fight.

I had to survive tonight.

 _He_ was coming.

It was my duty to stop him.

So I wouldn't fight the Reikai Tentai. I would get my sword. Then, as sick as it made me feel to even think of considering it, I'd surrender. That was the plan I'd decided on the minute I'd realized I could use these men to achieve my goals.

I used to be a warrior.

Now I'm a coward.

My eyes glimpsed Hiei again. He kept darting from my right side ahead toward our destination and back. No doubt that accursed evil eye of his was wide open, scouring the forest for dangers and fixed on their targets. He was such a menace.

"You okay?" Kuwabara earned my attention, his tone and face both laced with concern.

"Are you?" I asked him quietly, eye brow crooked. "You look pale."

A bead of sweat rolled down the line of his neck, absorbed into the crew neck of his t-shirt. Exertion from the hike or fear of what was to come? I couldn't quite tell.

"Yeah, It's the energy in the air y'know? Always ties me up in knots. I hate the way it feels."

Energy? Did he mean the auras leading us straight to the cliché hideout nestled into the forest's thickness? We were hunting our prey. How could he be so deeply affected by such a minor display of power? But as I watched him look around, shoulders hunched and hands shoved into his pocket, my confusion faded. I thought, maybe, I understood.

Above all else, Kuwabara was human. Totally and completely. He probably felt things differently, more profoundly due to that. His exposure to the Makai had gifted him with a perspective he had never asked for. He wore this experience like a weighted chain around his neck. It was likely that he didn't know how much information about himself he radiated, but I hungrily accepted every detail all the same.

Kuwabara was an honest man at the very center of his nature. He didn't mind displaying his emotions or reactions. Kind to a fault too, I surmised, as he stepped closer to me when the auras ahead grew in strength. A good man.

No wonder Yukina adored him so.

Sliding two fingers into my pocket I produced a piece of gum, offering it to him. He blinked at me, clearly confused by the act.

So incredibly honest.

It was refreshing.

"To ease your stomach." I explained lightly. "Though the mint might be an issue. It's potent. You won't be able to hide from your enemies."

"I don't hide." He snatched the gum from me, tossing it into his mouth defiantly.

This time I didn't repress my smile.

"Thanks. So, do you feel sick or anything? The heebie jeebies?" He spoke around chewing.

"No." I turned my attention back to Urameshi's back.

"No? It doesn't bother you?"

Kurama was listening raptly behind us. I could feel the pressure of his probing gaze. He'd begun to watch me the minute I'd warned Kuwabara about the mint. A slip on my part perhaps, but fostering potential had always come naturally to me.

"I don't feel anything."

Maybe I should've chosen different words. It could've been the utter apathy of my tone. Either way, Kuwabara's brows pulled down and Urameshi shot me a wary glance.

"You can't sense energy?" Kuwabara frowned, rubbing his neck. "That must be weird."

I shrugged. There was no reason to correct him on this matter. I could sense energy just fine. Probably better than he could, at any rate. But it didn't affect me the same way. The auras trying to menace us up ahead weren't my problem. Therefore, I was ambivalent toward them.

"Both of you shut up. They'll hear us." Hiei dropped from a tree to my right, his usual sneer deepening into a scowl.

With some amusement I noticed that my conversational partner had jumped. Crimson eyes glared at him, an unspoken complaint clear in his biting gaze. Then Hiei turned to me with a look of annoyed expectation. He thought I'd argue.

I stared back, unconcerned with his sudden appearance or his advice.

"Six." Hiei turned to Urameshi. "One with barely any energy at all. Four low level grunts. A lower B-class."

B-class? I mulled that over. A higher rating that I'd figured. Toying with my chain I considered my options. I looked toward the clearing that had come into view. A shiver ran down my spine.

I hadn't felt this excited in decades.

"Alright. We'll take out the lackeys then the boss." Yusuke laid out the obvious course of action. Did they really need this spelled out for them? "Mikamoto, you stay out of the way. Let us handle this."

I nodded. He wanted to prevent me from becoming a burden or a distraction. Fair enough. Plus, that fit into my plan. Let them handle the meat shields.

The boss was mine.

"I want the boss. You keep taking the good fights." Kuwabara whined.

I'll admit not glaring at him took more effort than it should have. He didn't know. Still, if he intruded on my fight I'd have to hurt him.

"When he inevitably fails, _like usual_ , I'll take over." Hiei snorted, derisive as ever.

What was his problem? Did he hate Kuwabara for a reason or was he too insecure to allow someone else into the spotlight? Perhaps he was just thirsty blood. Either way, he was being rude to his comrades. The overwhelming ego of male demons shouldn't surprise me anymore, and yet, it always found a way to.

"Shut up! I won't fail. B-class is easy for me now too."

"I've yet to see you win."

"No one yanked your chain, shrimp."

"Witty."

"I thought you didn't want us to give away our position." I interjected coolly, eyes on Hiei. "Could you stop instigating an unnecessary fight?"

Kurama stifled a laugh behind his hand as he walked up to my side, whispering a sincere thank you.

"She got you." Urameshi teased the fire demon, hands on his hips as he bent down to grin at the shorter man. "Maybe we should keep her around to keep you in line."

An offer I'd refuse even if I wasn't planning on ditching them in a few minutes.

Hiei scowled at him, then cut me a vicious glare. Perhaps expecting me to shrink under his harsh scrutiny. I suppose there were demons who withered under his stare, terrified of him and his powers. How disappointing for him that he had no such effect on me.

I wasn't afraid, I merely knew my limits.

Ignoring him and his ire, I shifted my eyes to Urameshi, waiting for the signal so we could get this mission underway. Now that I knew how close we were I could barely keep myself from running ahead. He inhaled and let it out slowly, then marched us down the hill leading toward the abandoned factory.

Worn, chipped bricks stained by the elements even in the darkness of night. Broken windows filled with steady yellow light. Vines creeping up, filling the spaces between the bricks and the cracks of the glass. Left to rot after it had shut down years before the old factory was slowly being devoured by the forest around it. A flicker of light caught my attention.

A firefly.

I held my finger out to the little bug, allowing it to land and rest for a moment. Softly, with more feeling than I meant to display, I smiled at the little creature. I'd always loved fireflies.

"Stay behind us." Kurama's order sent the insect back into the air.

I lowered my hand without a response. Constantly being reminded that I was a liability had, at best, grown tiresome. I couldn't rightly be bothered, seeing as how I'd carefully cultivated this image. Still, right or not, I was annoyed. But I kept my mouth shut about it, following at the back of the pack.

It was just as Hiei had reported. Urameshi pushed through a rusted metal door, the hinges loud and abrasive as they strained to open at all. We were greeted by five apparitions. Four armed, already jabbering about murder and the like. The usual talk of blood hungry idiots being used as distractions. Behind them, a woman with grey skin. Her fearful expression tried to be stern as she took us in. It wasn't convincing.

The leader's caretaker, then. Perhaps a mistress, from the state of her upknot and fine kimono. A woman who put effort into her appearance, even out here in the forest. Likely an unrequited affection on her end, no matter her role. She'd pose no threat and that might spare her life. I moved my attention back to the grunts, a quick overview revealing unimpressive energies. What they lacked in strength they bolstered in weaponry, it seemed.

"Hiei should go left, Kurama right." I suggested, eying the weapons. An old habit of mine, trying to control the outcome of a battle by playing to the strengths of those involved.

Kurama was clever. Quick. Fluid. Fighting a demon laden with potions and gases would be easy for him, especially with his cynical spirit. Hiei's aggressive speed would topple the demon with the spear, a quick and easy fight for him. Yusuke had chosen correctly already, challenging the demon with the sandals that would enhance its speed and jumps. Kuwabara faced off with the largest, a boar. This one's nose ring doubled his raw strength, and even then, I'd guess he was merely a lower C class. Perhaps mid.

Trinkets and tricks.

Cowards.

Not that I was any better at the moment. But still my pride wouldn't allow me to lump myself in with them. I may be lacking in power but I'm a trained fighter. I have skills.

Hiei pointedly ignored me, I noticed. He threw himself into a fight against the poison wielder in what I was sure was a defiant act. Moron. I had years of experience in battle, assessing opponents. He was making this harder on himself because he was immature and spiteful.

But, he wasn't my problem.

When he choked on the thick grey smoke he'd been caught in, I felt no pity for him. Watching for a moment, I made sure they were all adequately engaged before I strolled through the center of the factory floor. This was working out better than I had hoped. Ducking under a flying pot, I ignored Urameshi's command for me to retreat.

He should be more worried about that demon flitting around him, knocking him down.

"Pull out his ring." I told Kuwabara as I passed, barely sparing him a glance.

The boar had gained the upper hand, nearly goring the carrot top. At my suggestion, Kuwabara nodded, following the order quickly. He grabbed the ring and yanked on it, twisting the boar's head in the process and I heard a startled cry of victory from him.

I liked Kuwabara.

A shame, really, considering how this was going to play out.

My feet stopped in front of the female demon, looking her over.

"Call him." I demanded, fixing her in place with my stare. Having lighter eyes seemed to unnerve a lot of people. It had always been that way for me, in this life and the one before. Something about the shifting hues of blue just made demons and humans alike weary. My fingers worked the knot in the chain, loosening it.

"Never. I'll die first!" She rushed me.

Heaving a sigh, I stepped to the side, avoiding her futile attempt at capturing me or taking me down. What would she do if she succeeded? I doubted she knew.

"Fine." I eyed her from the side, unimpressed. "But I'm not going to kill you."

She came at me again. Slow. Uncoordinated. But desperate. She wouldn't stop until I backed off or she was down. I hated this. Fighting the weak like this, it had never set well with me. The grunts were weak, sure, but they were fighters. They were armed. This woman was just deluded pawn trying to protect a demon not worth her time.

My fist connected with her chest anyway, doubling her over, and a pang of guilt shot through my chest before I could stifle it. I heard the air rush out of her. She gagged on the pain, arms wrapped around her middle. Maybe I had hit her too hard. I forced myself not to think about it. To dismiss it. This was a fight she had started. I slammed my elbow across her face, watched the whites of her eyes show as they rolled up into her head as she listed to the side. My arms slid under hers, forcing me down into a kneel as I carried her weight to the ground. I needed to beat her, but I didn't have to cruel about it.

Whoever this idiot worked for, they didn't deserve her or her loyalty, allowing a creature like this to fight me. They should've been here already, fighting in the thick of it with their men.

My anger started to grow. And I already had so much of it to manage. What sort of coward was this imposter anyway? Someone whose name carried no strength so they stole another. Someone who hid behind the weak and the passionate, pretending to be a leader. A demon of the lowest caliber.

I had considered leaving them alive, using them as a distraction for the team to fall on while I made my getaway. But now I had changed my mind. Killing them might open me up to attention I didn't want, but I couldn't just allow these deeds to go unpunished.

Someone shouted behind me. I dodged the spear with ease, tossing it an annoyed glance before I continued on my way.

"You've got visitors. As a king shouldn't you greet us formally?" I called, aware that my tone betrayed my utter lack of respect. "Unless you're not who you say you are, coward."

That got me the response I wanted. Father had always said I had a way with words. A throaty rumble tore through the factory, the bay door at the back flying its tracks. I had to roll over the floor to avoid getting hit. Rising to my feet, dusting years worth of dirt off my shirt, I watched the entrance of this supposed king of demons.

I had been a king once, but I had never wanted to be. It was a punishment for my atrocious failures. A burdensome reminder that as a knight I shouldn't have survived my liege. I did not wear the title as a badge of honor. I wore it as an oath to pay for my sins.

This imposter thought himself royalty as he glared down at me. Shrouded in dense armor he stomped toward me on heavy feet, eyes ablaze. He assumed the title made the man. It must have sounded good to someone who had never been shackled by it. This demon thought that if he wanted it bad enough the power would come to him. It was the truth lining his eyes. The hope as his hand wound around the scabbard of a sword older than either of us. It was the desire that kept his back straight under the burden of his armor so that he could lift his chin and look down his nose at me.

I could read him like a worn novel.

He dove at me, saying something I didn't care to hear. My eyes were glued to that red scabbard. I evaded his advances until he realized he couldn't simply catch me. Not with his movements restricted by the plates of metal he'd donned. We stood several feet apart in a world of our own.

"Get away from her!" Urameshi bellowed, I'm sure rushing to save me.

My eyes went from the sword to the face of the demon holding it. It looked small in his meaty fist. I didn't bother memorizing his features. I wouldn't have any need to remember them. The knot came undone, my chain sliding loose from my wrist.

"You scuffed it." I gestured to the sword. "A rude way to treat something that isn't yours."

The chill in my voice was more habit than intention at this point. Father had always been impressed with my voice and its effect on others, especially during battle. He claimed of all my weapons, it was his favorite. Thinking of him pinched the corners of my eyes as the familiar cold entered my blood. Shame. Pain. Loneliness. The things I always felt when I remembered my family.

"This is mine!" The demon roared.

"Then use it." My command startled him.

And gods help him, he tried. But the sheath would not relinquish the blade. Footsteps behind me. I didn't bother looking. There was no more time.

 _Before_ I had been too fast for most demons to see, let alone fight. By the time I attacked, I only got to witness their mortal fear. It's why I won. I always won.

Until I didn't.

I rushed him, no hesitation holding me back. Looping my Infinity Chain around one meaty wrist, I swung up and kicked him under the chin. I allowed him to swipe at me, trying to push me back. Every ounce of his struggle worked to aid me in ensnaring him. All his fitting only wrapped him tighter in the web I created.

Mine was a weapon manipulated by energy. It would grow or shrink as I desired. It was unbreakable. Undeniable. Relentless in its mission.

It was a good metaphor, I think.

The armor was meant to make its wearer immortal, unable to be dealt damage. But in the face of my rage, even immortals bow. I tugged the wire and brought him to his knees. Lifting my chin, I looked down at him.

The armor was indestructible.

The body underneath? Not so much.

My Infinity Chain slipped through the uncovered joints in the plates, winding around the bare flesh underneath. Fusing some energy into the chain I pulled again. His body separated, cut through with all the resistance of wet clay. Arms and legs, hands and feet. All that stood was a torso with a yowling head, screaming out profanities and idle threats.

My feet carried me to the sword and the minute I touched it I felt at home. The familiar thrum of energy reached into my soul, filling a spot I hadn't realized had been empty since before I died. Tying the chain around it, I fixed the sheath to my side. The blade slide free without complaint under my hands. Swiping once, I silenced those yowling cries forever. Good riddance.

Silence rushed in. Four sets of eyes glued to me. Four emotional states ranging from fury to fear.

I sheathed the sword.

I wasn't born a king. I earned my title. I was born a princess. The _first_ princess.

I had never wanted that either. I never cared much for pre-ordained positions. I was a princess by birth, but I worked hard to become a knight. A warrior. A sentinel.

Becoming a king was never my purpose or goal. It was the brand of my failure. It was a title thrust onto me. I rebuked it. As with everything in my life, I chose my own path. I shouldered my burden without the glory it could have brought me.

The people, my people, called me a king.

But that wasn't the name they cried when they needed help.

"I surrender." I lifted my hands and knelt down on one knee.

The Jaganshi ripped the sword from me, shoving me face down against the grime streaked floor. His nails cut into my scalp and he clawed his hand in my hair, pinning me down with a knee pressing into my back. I'd definitely have bruises from this later. I could hear him snarling over me despite my obvious compliance.

" _Who are you_?" He seethed, heat pouring into me with every sharp syllable.

I didn't struggle in his hold. In another lifetime, I could've killed Hiei. We would have been closely matched, but I would've won. But that was _before_.

Before I fell. Before I _failed_. Before this accursed existence robbed me of my power and dignity and the release of death I'd been vying for.

Even then, even in the end I had some pride. Not much else, but I'd always had pride to spare. I'd made _him_ choke on his rage, reminding him how to address me properly. Showing him that nothing he could do would make him stronger than me. _He_ could never surpass me, the best he could ever hope for was an even match.

I suppose I should've listened to my screaming instincts and been more cautious in dealing with the murderous demon pressing his weight into my spine. But I was too overwhelmed with my accomplishment to care. I had the sword. And for the first time in twenty-three years I could say it.

I could say my name.

"Lord Amon-Shinpi Takani." I grinned, the name tasting so sweet on my tongue despite the swirl of dust I inhaled with the words. "But you may call me your highness."

A growl, feral and furious, then pain as it sparked through my head. Hiei's vengeful punch robbing me of consciousness and any way to talk my way out of this. I'd be lucky if he didn't kill me.

And yet, my last thought would have surely sent him over the edge if he'd been able to hear it. I was glad the ward was still intact for this moment otherwise I would have surely felt the cold metal of his blade rip into me. But as I appreciated that he'd stiffened upon hearing my name, recognizing me for a moment as the demon I once was, I couldn't help the two words, I barely managed to keep them locked behind my lips.

 _Worth it._


	5. Clerical Error

**A/N: Alright friends. I had chapter 6 and 7 totally done before I finished this one. It's really long, sorry. I needed a lot of stuff to happen so I could progress to where I wanted to go, and the next two chapters are actually fairly short. I found the title of this one as a little inside joke to myself, because one of the chapter notes was referencing Iruni's reincarnation as a clerical error. Anyway. Here we get more hints at what is driving Iruni. Let me know what you think about it!**

 **Clerical Error: In which the team has to decide how to handle Iruni who seems to find her incarceration beneficial for her needs. Also Kuwabara gets nagged, Genkai and Hiei rub antlers, and the SDF aren't very good at controlling themselves.**

* * *

Iruni winced, pain coursing through her bones, biting at the back of her skull. Raising cautious fingertips she pried at the area. Sticky. Wet. The makings of a scab as well. How hard had Hiei hit her? How long had she been out? Her senses felt muted and she wasn't sure if that was the fault of the quite likely concussion she was now sporting, or if it was because of the enchanted shackles binding her to the wall.

Sitting up was a tedious chore, but she did it anyway. The room spun for a moment, her stomach rolling with it.

Definitely a concussion.

"They may have blocked my energy, but I still know when I'm being watched." She opened her eyes slowly, fixing on the spot where Kurama sat.

He tipped his head to one side, silent as death, and ran his eyes over her as if he was meeting her for the first time. She supposed, in a way, he was. And this was the first time he was allowing her to see him too, his knees crossed over one another, rose carefully spinning by the stem in his long, delicate fingers.

Shuichi looked innocuous enough if you didn't know anything about him.

Kurama, on the other, looked nothing short of the danger he was.

Silence filled the room, other than the sound of her chains scraping against one another. The sound aggravating her tender nerves, echoing in her ears. She could use her arms freely but if she were to stand, she'd be able to take a single step before the restraints stopped her. Looking around she began to assess her accommodations, noting the mirror behind the fox, the stone floor with its drain in the center, a small metal toilet, a bucket of water, the bed she was sitting on with its thin mattress.

Honestly, as far as prisons go, it wasn't the worst she'd ever been in.

The problem was less about being in prison and more where that prison was located. Even with the door closed she knew she was in Spirit World. She'd done this to herself, she chided internally, because she couldn't help but take a jab at Hiei. As usual her mouth had landed her in hot water. Pressing her lips into a line she touched her head again. Of all her plans, this one had to be at least in the top ten worst she'd ever had.

"Hiei hit you too hard. You've been unconscious for some time." Kurama's cool voice snaked over to her. "I've brought a salve that should dull the pain a bit, _Iruni_."

"I refuse." She told him, an equal chill in her tone. His eyes narrowed only slightly, but she caught the warning he'd cast at her. "Anything you give me will have the primary benefit of working in your favor and not mine. A toxin to kill me or a toxin to make me speak. Either way, I'm not interested."

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, Koenma and Hiei watched from behind the two-way mirror. The cell was dim, the low watt bulb above the two demons inside casting thick yellow light downward and outside of that light, leaving shadows. At the woman's words, Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"If I wanted to poison you, why would I wait until you give your consent?" Kurama asked her, the rose no longer a plaything in his hands, but an idle weapon as he held it still.

Iruni stared at him, her expression plainly telling him she had no reason to answer his question.

"You have to be in pain." Kurama pressed, as if this would sway her.

"I'm always in pain." She responded callously, shifting until her back was to the wall and her legs criss-crossed. Placing her hands on her knees, then turning them palm up, she closed her eyes.

"Is she ignoring him?" Koenma balked at the display.

"She's hiding." Hiei corrected him, quiet, his eyes glued to the scene. "She's in more pain than she wants to let on."

"Huh, maybe if someone hadn't wailed on her like a punching bag that wouldn't be the case." Yusuke shot him a harsh look. "You've gotta control your temper."

"She knew what I'd do when she opened her mouth. Have no fear, detective, she planned for this." Hiei tossed back, unapologetic. He tightened the fist tucked under his left arm all the same, the bandages on his knuckles were speckled with blood. He'd be damned if he would admit to the detective that he'd lost control of his strength in the moment.

He almost killed her.

Because this monster had gotten so close to Yukina and he'd been the only one to see it. She could have slaughtered them all, if what Koenma described was true. He hadn't been able to restrict himself when she'd tossed out that haughty line. Surely a powerful demon lord could handle a blow to the back of the head without dying.

And yet, he'd also forgotten how miserably frail human bodies are even with powerful demons residing in them.

"She'd already surrendered." Kuwabara glared at Hiei. "Man, you'll cross any line won't you? Hitting a girl, no problem. Hitting someone who already gave up, no problem."

Hiei ignored him. Or at least acted like had was ignoring him, because truthfully, he hadn't cared that she'd surrendered in the moment. He'd forgotten about it as soon as she'd declared who she was to them. The idiot.

What he wanted to know, more than anything, was why. Why had she told them in that moment? Why hadn't she tried to fight? Why had she woken up in a prison with a look of drained curiosity and not confusion?

She didn't speak again, back of her head resting gingerly against the stone wall as her eyes closed. Kurama waited, then stood, leaving the jar behind.

"I'm too aware of your tricks, fox. Take it with you." The words were cold, and when he looked over his shoulder her eyes were still closed.

Kurama casually picked the jar up and slid it back into his pocket, pausing a moment to study her again.

"And my name is Amon-Shinpi. If you can't manage that, you may call me Shinpi." She kept her eyes closed but the admonishment was clear in her tone. "But I won't answer to Iruni again."

Iruni Mikamoto had never been a very noticeable girl, aside from her startling blue eyes. She was small, and for a long time he'd thought she was slight. But carrying her here had allowed him a brief examination of her body. Mostly focused on making sure Hiei hadn't caved in the back of her skull, but he'd checked for additional weapons as well. She was actually quite muscular, this fact hidden under her long sleeve shirts and pants.

He tried to pinpoint any moment in their past together where he should have suspected her, but nothing came to mind immediately. She'd always been quiet, removed from the other students. She'd built up enough walls around her that she had practically faded from existence. Intelligent, though. She'd scored just on the heels of Kaido, if he remembered correctly. A generic student by most other accounts.

She participated in clubs, she read her books, she ate her lunches alone.

A memory came to him suddenly as he stared at her downturned face.

" _You're Minamino, right?" Mikamoto sat across from him on the train, her little legs criss-crosed in her seat since they couldn't seem to touch the floor. Dark hair cut into an angle over her shoulders, bangs a fringe across her forehead. Large blue eyes that felt a little too probing for his taste._

" _And you're Mikamoto." He offered her a practiced smile, and it seemed to catch her off guard. But by now he was used to this game, the girls who couldn't help but approach him._

 _Her hands tightened on the violin case cradled safely in her lap, her eyes glued to its surface for a moment._

 _He was nearly charmed that a simple smile had been enough to dissuade her. He'd been mistaken. She cast him a look from under her bangs, a strange chill entering the car under the weight of her gaze. He felt very suddenly like he was on a precipice._

" _You love your mother, right?" She asked him and his eyes widened._

" _Naturally." He responded, but he was careful now. His mother. His human mother who had somehow earned his affections. What did Mikamoto want with her?_

 _But she seemed troubled by his answer, nodding and sinking into herself. She didn't speak again for several minutes and he watched her warily the whole time._

 _She slid to her feet, face hidden by the shadow of her hair as she kept her chin tucked. She walked to the doors and exited once the train stopped._

Kurama shook himself free of the memory. Nothing had ever come of it and Yusuke had entered his life around the same time. It had fallen to the wayside as an unusual encounter and nothing more. Mikamoto didn't talk to him again after that, but now he wondered how long she'd known who he was. Had she asked him that because of their shared nature? Or had it been a cry for help?

He left the cell heavy in thought.

"That was a waste of time." Hiei told him when he entered the side room where the rest waited.

"She's not going to just freely admit her secrets and her guard is up. We'll have a difficult time interrogating her." Kurama explained to them all.

"I'll go." Hiei bared his teeth.

"I'll send in a member of the SDF." Koenma shut Hiei down quickly. "We want information, not a blood bath."

Matsuma, a generic member of the Spirit Defense Force with his tall stature and cropped pale hair, sat on the bench across from the woman while Hiei and Botan watched from behind the glass. Hiei had refused to leave, wanting to do as much observation as he could. It was imperative that they learn as much as possible. She'd offered little movement or reactions since Kurama had left. Now her lips quirked up slightly, her eyes peeling open as she studied this newcomer.

"Interesting." She spoke and this time her tone was lighter, nearly amused. "You're awfully angry for someone I'm quite sure I've never met. Did they send you in to beat the truth out of me?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead. I won't fight you." She offered a pleasant smile, but her eyes had turned sharp. "Do you mind telling me why you hate me so much?"

"You're an abomination." He told her, getting to his feet.

"Ah, I see."

He struck her across the face with a closed fist and she let her body move with the hit, head jerking to the side.

Botan gasped, covering her mouth and Hiei frowned.

"If Koenma wanted her tortured, he should've asked me. At least I wouldn't have been so brutish about it." Hiei voiced, eyes narrowing.

But the woman held true to her word, she made no move to defend herself. When Matsuma hoisted her to her knees by her shirt front she merely hung in his hands.

"What was your goal in human world?" He growled in her face.

She didn't answer him, teeth a little bloody as she continued to smile and he slapped her again. She made no move to stop him and offered no indication she intended to speak.

"You've done this all wrong. You don't start with the head, especially if your captive is already suffering from a brain injury of some kind. You start slowly, with the extremities. Toes, fingers, hands, feet. Work your way up. Take your time." The chuckle she allowed at his expense enraged him. "I won't talk to a boar like you. Bring me Kuwabara."

"You don't get to dish out orders, you piece of Makai filth." He trembled with the urge to just beat her.

All too suddenly he wasn't holding her anymore. She'd finally brought her hands up, pushing his away from her with ease. Then she drug him forward, the movement bringing him to kneel one legged on the bed. The warded chain wrapped around his throat and she tugged.

"You…said…you..wouldn't..fi..fight."

"This isn't a fight. You're entirely outmatched. This will be a massacre." She assured him, then just as suddenly the chain slacked.

Matsuma coughed, scrambling backwards to get away from her. He didn't stop until his shoulders hit the wall behind him, allowing him to pant for breath and nurse his budding bruises.

Iruni sat back on the bed, crossing her legs with a vicious smile as she cupped her chin with her palm, watching him. "Would you like to start again?"

Hiei raised his eyebrows at the display of raw strength. Her energy was entirely bound at the moment.

"She's hurt." Botan frowned, noting the bleeding cuts on the other woman's face. "How can Koenma allow something so vile?"

Hiei shot her a withering glare. "She nearly killed him."

"He started it." Botan's frown deepened. Then she marched from the room.

Hiei didn't bother asking where she was going. He didn't need to. She was going to Koenma to complain. Now would be his best chance. Unsupervised, he could enter the room, kick Matsuma out and take over. He'd get her to talk.

But even as the thought crossed her mind those blue eyes scanned over the glass of the mirror and the smile fell into a stoic expression.

"I'll be waiting." She voiced, before turning her attention back to Matsuma. "Don't you have a report to make? Get out."

He did as he was told and the woman watched him skitter with a look of sheer disgust. Mumbling something Hiei couldn't quite make out, she waited a moment, staring at the door. When her eyes scanned back to the mirror, she winced, bringing her hand up to her face. She ran her tongue over her teeth and spit a thick glob of bloody saliva to the side.

Reaching up, she tore off her left sleeve and started to rip the fabric, using it to dab at the blood on her face and clean her wounds.

It had taken a second for Hiei to realize she was actually using the mirror as just that, a mirror, and hadn't actually been staring at him through it. She might not have even known he was there. So he waited, watching her go through the process of doctoring herself. All the while his eyes kept training to her left shoulder. The skin was an angry blueish color, deep purple at its worst. He wasn't sure why the sight of it bothered him but he almost used the intercom to tell her to cover it up.

"You've got to be kidding me." Hiei deadpanned at the door as it opened, Kuwabara walking into the cell in time with Botan, Kurama and Yusuke walking into the observation room. "Are you idiots trying to get him killed?"

"He's been warned to keep back." Kurama commented, though his tone spoke volumes on how he felt about the situation.

Inside the cell, Shinpi tilted her head, eyes roving over the carrot top while she remained silent.

"I heard you wanted to see me." He put his hands in his pockets, standing close to the door.

She adjusted herself again, pulling up one knee so she could rest her hand on, freeing up enough chain to gesture with the other.

"Sit."

He glanced at the bench across from her, then back to her. In measured steps he walked over, sinking down onto the bench with a wary glance in her direction. She watched him too, scanning over his form with eyes that made him feel naked. He shifted, a little uncomfortable under the intensity of her gaze.

"You lack refinement." She told him quietly, eyes narrowing slightly. "And discipline. I don't know who's been in charge of your training, but they should be killed."

Yusuke and Kurama glanced at each other, confused.

"What?" Kuwabara visibly loosened up.

"Don't tell me you can't understand basic criticism. That will make this all more difficult on you." She told him coolly. "You have no form, no composure in your fighting technique. You look like a child wrestling with his friends. Given your power level, I'd have expected you to have at least mastered one form of martial art and yet, you act like a bumbling idiot. I'm disappointed in you."

Yusuke snickered.

"He's getting chewed out by our prisoner." The Spirit Detective whispered to Kurama.

"Hey! I try okay! Sorry I'm not like Urameshi and gifted with super blood or something." Kuwabara shot back at her. "You demons are judgmental as hell."

"You don't fail to win due to blood. You fail to win due to discipline." She snapped at him. "Get your head out of your ass, Kuwabara. I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah well-"

"If you care about Yukina, you'll listen to what I have to say. She deserves to be with someone who can keep her safe, not just happy. What happiness will she have if you get killed due to a stupid mistake?" Iruni raised her voice. "So shut up and listen to me."

Kuwabara clammed up at the mention of Yukina. Inside the observation room Hiei tensed, arm throbbing with his anger. He waited.

"I don't even need you to describe your current regimen to me. I already know you're slacking off. At minimum, you should be allotting one hour a day to improving your physical endurance and one hour on your honing your spirit energy. You've gotten lucky with natural skill and haphazard training. It'll take more than that to see you through life." She leaned back, her shoulders pressing into the stone behind her. "And your defense is shit too. You should be sparring as often as possible with your allies. You let yourself be tossed around like a ragdoll. It's disgraceful."

"How do I train my spirit energy though?" He asked her, leaning forward. "I'm not like Yusuke. I don't have demon blood or whatever."

"You're focusing too heavily on heritage. Yusuke won the genetic lottery. You've got raw skill that can be developed. If you stop treating every fight like a street brawl and actually focus on developing some semblance of a style."

"Hey, I'll have you know I was a the top punk at-"

"I. Don't. Care." She let all emotion leave her face. "Don't bore me with your juvenile credentials. I was wiping out armies before your father was born."

He paled.

"And if I hear you use Urameshi's blood as an excuse for your own ineptitude one more time, I will knock your teeth down your throat when I'm out of here, you got it?"

"Yeah."

"Try again."

"Yes'm."

"Better."

Her eyes moved to the mirror and she cocked an eyebrow. Then her lips lifted as a smug grin started to curve her mouth. Her eyes met Hiei's through the glass, and again he wondered if she could see him through it.

Lifting a finger to gestured with it toward the door and Hiei followed the path she drew just as the door opened, Genkai walking into the cell.

"Get up, dimwit. It's time to hash this out with Koenma." Genkai's gravely tone snapped at the woman. "You're lucky I bothered to come."

"I'm infinitely grateful." Shinpi assured her then gestured lightly with her hands. "I've spoken to Kazuma so this is divine timing, as usual Master Genkai. However, these chains have proven more restrictive than I'd like to admit."

"If you'd actually use your damn energy you'd be free in no time."

"Is this really the time for such displays? I'm trying to make a bid for freedom, after all." Shinpi smiled lightly. "Do you mind?"

"Moron." Genkai walked over with a key and unlocked the shackles.

Stretching her arms overhead, Shinpi leaned to one side then the other, careful of her aching head. Gesturing with an open hand to Kuwabara she continued to smile.

"You'll begin your training now. Focus your energy into her palms and keep it there for an hour. If you can't manage then you'll make it up to me through physical punishment." The lighthearted warmth in her smile totally went against her threat. "How far can you run, Kazuma?"

"I dunno, like, five miles probably? It's been a while."

"So one hour of energy training. If you fail you'll owe me a ten mile run." She turned then to follow Genkai. "That seems like a nice gentle way to start."

Kuwabara nearly fell over at her casual demand, fear crossing his face. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly." She cast the response at him with a look over her shoulder.

...

"Send me to train at Genkai's. She knows my character well enough and I respect her. After all, I didn't actual break any rules by taking on that roach. And there's nothing wrong with me refusing to offer my actual name to strangers." Amon-Shinpi expressed blandly. "I've never caused a single problem for your little spirit lackeys and I don't intend to start now."

Her finale followed up an entire conversation of explaining the recent events to him, sparsely detailed. Genkai seconded a few of her statements, like them knowing each other and Shinpi's lacking any reason to create havoc in human world. But Koenma remained unconvinced of her altruism. He kept bringing up the sword and its known power, her deceptive personality and hinting at her previous life. Repeatedly she disregarded his concerns, explaining them away with ease.

"You've obviously thought this through." Koenma sneered at Amon-Shinpi. "What's your goal?"

"I want to kill Hiro." She told him simply, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "And you're going to let me. After that I don't particularly care what happens, but Hiro is my problem and I will be the one to handle him."

"Hiro?" Koenma leaned back in his chair, assessing her. "What's this have to do with him?"

"Everything." She assured him, remaining firm in her stance. "And I suspect its him prying humans from their world, so it'd be prudent of you to allow me to continue."

"Why would he be doing that?"

"Because he's looking for someone." She responded, eyes narrowed.

"You." Kurama surmised, eying her. "He's looking for you, isn't he?"

"Yes." She spoke the word through her teeth, fists curling at her sides. "But not Amon-Shinpi. He's looking for Iruni, as the last descendent of Kuya Takani."

"Wait, what?" Yusuke gaped at her.

"Kuya was my sister. My twin. My current incarnation is her great-granddaughter. And this body is all that remains of our bloodline, which Hiro is desperate to control." Shinpi explained, terse and frigid. "It all goes back to the sword and the territory I once called home. Neither will obey someone other than a Takani."

Silence followed her admission, and she hated it. But she allowed it, allowed them their moment of quiet understanding as the importance of that statement settled on them.

"Does he need you alive?" Koenma asked, quiet and grave.

"Only until he can produce an heir with this body. Once the bloodline continues, he can dispatch me."

Everyone shifted, silent glances moving across the room around her. An uncomfortable dance as part of a wordless conversation that didn't include her. She remained in the middle, eyes glued to the leader of Spirit World.

"It's imperative that I kill him before that happens." She pressed the weight of that sentiment into Koenma, sure, but into the rest of them too. Genkai looked at her, frowning deeply, but saying nothing.

"I mean, we can kill him." Yusuke announced. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're pretty damn capable."

"No. I will be the one." She didn't look at him. "Put me under Genkai's care. Allow her to vouch for my intentions, if you must involve someone else. I will heed her."

"She will." Genkai assured him. "We've been discussing this for some time."

"If Hiro knows who is he looking for, why is he taking so many others?" Hiei tilted his head to the side, probing her with his gaze.

"I don't know. Perhaps because he thinks a Takani daughter will prove too powerful for him, even after all this time. Maybe for amusement. There is even the option that he simply enjoys it. I've never understood this side of him." She narrowed her eyes with the last words, as if that fact vexed her. "I'll return to my cell until you decide."

"If he's after you to gain power, fighting him would put you right where he wants you." Koenma pointed out. "I don't think it's a sound strategy."

"He's after a human descendent. He has no idea who I am." She declared, rolling her eyes. "No one knows of my situation outside of Genkai. And she only knows because I had to offer some token of trust to her. He'll be unprepared."

"This is a lot of work to go through just to kill someone when you failed to last time." The Spirit Prince remarked sharply. "Taking over a human body. Luring my team into your clutches."

Her brow furrowed at his accusation.

"I used these ones to get the sword, that much is true, but as for taking over a human body I did no such thing." Shinpi frowned, head tipped to the side. "I didn't ask to be reincarnated."

He paled at her words, then glanced at Botan, who raised her eyebrows high onto her forehead. Looking around the room, Shinpi noted the looks of surprise and suspicion.

"Did you seriously think someone would _want_ this?" She asked Koenma, now thoroughly confused. "I hate every moment I'm alive, especially in this frail little body. I went after Hiro with every intention of dying. If I'm alive, it's because _your side_ wanted it, not me."

"Impossible. I wouldn't have accepted a request like this." He gestured to her. "Father would have punished me for even thinking about it."

"Well, I certainly didn't ask to be born." She crossed her arms. "I went into that fissure expecting to die. It took years of rebuilding my awareness for me to realize what had happened."

Another bout of silence, this one far more tense and thrilling with mutual confusion and wariness.

"I'll look into it." Koenma told her, offering a single dip of his chin. "While I do, mind telling me why you didn't end this existence you seem to loathe?"

"I tried. Once. But my human mother intervened. After that I learned that Hiro was still alive and renewed my mission to rid the world of him." She waved a hand through the air. "Surely your books will indicate the attempt, at the least."

"They will."

"Then do your research. Come get me when it's time to go." She turned on heel and marched from the room, head high, and willingly allowed the SDF members on the other side to escort her back to her cell.

"I'll go through her records." Botan voiced quietly.

"Thank you, Botan."

The rest of the team remained behind, no one wanting to be the first to speak. Koenma stewed at his desk, conflicted, as he rubbed the seam of the leather on the armrest of his chair.

"What do we know about Hiro?" Kurama asked, the safest question in the situation.

"I don't know much. Just that his name is pieced with Amon-Shinpi's consistently. A student, maybe? He was powerful by all accounts, but not a Takani. What I do know from looking over her record is that they were close and then they were trying to kill each other." Koenma leaned forward, cradling his head in his hands. "This is a mess."

"Do you know something?" Hiei turned to Genkai with harsh scrutiny. "Since you two seem so close, I imagine she spilled her secrets to you."

"He took something from her, and she went after him for it. She failed the first time, retreated and came back a second time. He should've died. I'm not sure why he didn't." Genkai didn't react to Hiei's fiery gaze. "This is deeply personal to her."

"But can we trust her?" Yusuke asked, grim.

"Allow me to decide." Hiei told the rest of the group, his eye moving to Genkai with an obvious sneer. "Unless there are any objections."

"Do what you must." Genkai responded evenly. "But I'll warn you that assaulting her privacy won't sit well with her."

"I'm not worried about her opinion of me." Hiei assured the elder in the room. "Just bring her here. We'll allow the Jagan eye to do the rest."

The others turned to Koenma, waiting for him to okay this exchange. Tension rang clearly in the room until the toddler bobbed his head twice.

"If anyone can see her character right now, it'll be Hiei. We'll allow him to make the final call." Koenma acquiesced to the demon's demands, but looked grim in doing so. "If you find her guilty, Hiei, we'll take her back to the cell to await her sentence."

"I don't care." Hiei rolled his eyes back to Genkai. "I'm only interesting in outing her for the liar she is."

"Good luck with that." Genkai smirked then, something hidden behind her words.

...

Hiei posted himself behind the glass again, watching as Yusuke made himself comfortable on the bench across from the woman who once again sat chained to the wall. New bruises and cuts marred her face, over the bridge of her nose and under her eyes. Gifts from the SDF, he was sure.

Given her propensity for running her mouth, he was also sure she'd earned them.

Yusuke sighed, leaning forward to begin speaking to her. Shinpi watched him, mildly interested but reserved.

"Iruni-"

"Amon-Shinpi."

"What?" Yusuke squinted at her.

"Amon-Shinpi." She repeated offhandedly. "Iruni isn't my real name and I see no reason to continue going by it in this situation. You don't call Kurama Shuichi. I went over this with Kurama."

He sat back and assessed her. "Amon-Shinpi is a mouthful though. We don't call him Youko either."

"M'lord works just as well."

"You little shit. Don't make me throttle you. I'm not fucking calling you that."

She laughed, genuine and bright, a startling occurrence to both men, and then nodded.

"Yukina calls me Hichi." She allowed, still smiling. "But that is for my closest friends. You may call me Shinpi."

He nodded slowly, then went on. "Shinpi, or whatever, what's your plan here?"

"I thought that was clear."

"No, I mean, what is your _plan_? You know, over all? We were ordered to bring you in for questioning and you lost the sword you were looking for." Yusuke leaned forward, one hand on his knee as he waved the other around. "You're pretty much trapped here."

"Ah, I see your confusion." She nodded, her smile turning wicked. "You're under the impression my being here is _your_ idea."

Hiei stiffened behind the glass.

"I will assure you, Detective Urameshi, my being drug here _was_ my plan." Amon-Shinpi leaned forward elbows on her legs and hands clasped together. "If I'm to accomplish my goals, I need Spirit World's assistance. Hiro is powerful and I will defeat him. But to do that without interference from your team requires me to make it known ahead of time. If your lot appeared mid-battle, it would throw my strategy off. If I can land Koenma's blessing for this then he won't send his lackeys after me for the use of my energy."

Yusuke leaned forward and opened his mouth, eyes falling into a dull stare as he considered her words. Then he closed it, continuing to stare. She waited for him to speak, her expression shifting into something lighter, more genuine again.

"You knew who we were at the beginning."

"Correct."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"The goal has been the same for years. However, intertwining with your team was only recently a piece of the plot." She explained.

"And you knew you'd get placed here?"

"It was a high probability." She nodded. "Once you agreed to bring me I knew I would either have to fight you all to escape with the sword or I'd be forced to surrender. The former wasn't even a real option. As it stands, the Jaganshi would have killed me without hesitation."

"I wouldn't have let him-"

"You can't stop him."

Silence followed the statement and Hiei shifted behind the glass, pushing off from the wall to stand straight and stare at the woman through the two-way mirror. Her eyes moved from Yusuke and they met Hiei's through the glass almost as if she could actually see him. He wondered again if she could.

"I've seen his kind before. And they stop at nothing."

Hiei narrowed his eyes.

Amon-Shinpi shifted her gaze then, back to Yusuke but her expression had grown grim. "Anyway, surrender was the only choice. And it allowed me access to Spirit World."

"Did the SDF guys rough you up?" The sharp edge to Yusuke's tone piqued her interest.

"You can't blame dogs for their behavior when they haven't been properly managed." Shinpi told him lightly.

"I can. I'll knock their teeth out." He argued. "You can't let people just beat you up, Shinpi."

"Much like when Hiei threw me to the floor, I'm not in a positon to fight. I also don't need your concern." She spoke quietly, with more softness. "I assume you didn't come here just to interrogate me. Your team has reached some decision."

"Hiei is going to take a look at you." Yusuke told her with a nod. "He'll decide what happens next."

Wrinkling her nose, she looked away from him, weighing her options. A dangerous bet. "And if I refuse?"

"Not an option, sorry." Yusuke shrugged uselessly.

Even without being in her head, Hiei knew what she was thinking in that moment. Her expression gave her away. He might not have recognized it except that he'd seen it on his own face a time or two. And the others all at least once. In that moment, without hesitation, she had accepted the fact that she was about to die.

Interesting.

...

"So, I'm to undergo the Jaganshi's assessment then." Shinpi kept herself toward the door so she could see everyone in the room after Yusuke walked her back into the office. "That's the price for your cooperation?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. No one agreed to work with you." Hiei warned her. "This time tomorrow you might be wasting away in that little cell."

"I'll be dead, actually. No doubt the ruling will be execution if you find me guilty of anything. Spirit World won't allow me to exist and prove they've made an error in their paperwork." She corrected him without much care. "So the terms are either pass your test and get what I want, or fail and die. I'm used to working within those odds."

"Are you saying you'll go through with this test?" Kurama asked her carefully. "We'd like your consent."

Her eyes flicked to him then back to Hiei. Huffing she offered a useless shrug. His casual allowance didn't undermine Yusuke's words from earlier.

"If it'll ease your conscience, sure. I accept the terms I've been given and will allow the Jaganshi access to my mind." Shinpi reached up and unbound her hair, pulling the ward out from the strands of black. Shredding the paper she gripped the tattered pieces in her fist. From beside her, Genkai eyed the destroyed ward and offered only a mildly grim expression in response. This was a gamble, a big one.

One she would surely lose. And yet, one she couldn't afford not to make.

Hiei stepped in front of her, the Jagan already open and boring into her with its relentless stare. Raising a hand in front of her face, his spread his fingers wide, so close she could trace the patterns that created his fingerprints.

"Stay still." He warned her, closing his crimson eyes to focus his attention.

And just like that he began.


	6. The Condition

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing (or just reading). I really enjoy hearing from you guys! This chapter ended up longer than I meant it to be.**

 **Ch6-The Condition: In which Hiei scans Shinpi's human memories and makes he decision about her fate.**

* * *

Hiei had scanned memories before, to vet for Mukuro or the team mostly. Humans, in particular, starting their lives out in pitifully predictable ways. The first murky memories were always distant, soft, often soothing. The scent of a parent. The sensation of being held. Small, idiosyncrasies that human world alone indulged in. His first taste of Shinpi's human memories weren't what he expected. Firstly, they were incredibly sharp and clear.

Secondly, one of her first memories was of noise. Loud, indistinct voices. The words muddled together, but the emotion was clear. Anger. And then the sniffling, soggy eyed face of her human mother, bending over her and brushing hair away from her face, whispering with a broken smile. She didn't seem to notice the blood dripping from her nostril.

But Shinpi did.

She noticed it all, her eyes captured everything her mother tried to hide. The bruises, the tears, the fear when her father walked into the room without a smile. The little girl with a mind older than the combined ages of her parents understood everything.

"I'll protect you." Her first sentence wrought tears from her mother's eyes and sobs from her chest.

The woman clutched her close, buried her face in the little girl's hair even as small, thin arms weaved around her. And it became an oath burned into every drop of blood running through Shinpi's body. _Protect her._ The years wore on, and the abuse continued. The marks were mostly in places easy to cover.

The occasional black eye swallowed by layers of makeup.

When Shinpi was just over two-and-a-half, she had her first memory of her _before_ life. It came suddenly, and unbidden, while her mother drove her to daycare and wind streamed in from the open car windows. A simple memory, but real nonetheless, of her playing in the air currents in her homeland.

She stared at her tiny fingers and palms, then curled them into fists and held tightly to that memory. More came after, and eventually, she had them all, but that first one was important. It reminded her who she was. What she was capable of.

Hiei found this oddly frustrating. What good was the information if she couldn't use it? Her hopeful pride in that moment chafed him, because he'd have been irate. He chose to move on. The next set of memories didn't sit any better with him.

When Shinpi was six, her father hit her for the first time. A backhanded slap across the face for interrupting him on a business call to ask for food. Her mother cried herself to sleep in Shinpi's bed that night, apologizing over and over, but Shinpi simply told her to stop.

She had never expected this woman to protect her. There were fighters and there were victims, and this woman couldn't raise her hand to save herself much less anyone else. It would be up to Shinpi, and remembering her utter failure to stop one power-thirsty bastard _before_ she decided she would not make that same mistake again.

So Shinpi started to think, dream, and scheme. She had a family once before, she remembered, who loved her. A father who carried her on his shoulders and taught her the importance of healing, of patience and compassion. A mother who fought with all the grace of the wind, who told her to be strong and keep her head up no matter what. A sister who kept her spirit warm, who reminded her who she was when she got lost. A grandfather who laughed and told her she was just like him, a warrior and the world wasn't ready for her. A younger brother who idolized her. And those loved ones were ripped from her without mercy.

She supposed, the time would come, when she should be the one to lack mercy.

Hiei's thrum of annoyance was clear. None of this was what he cared about. He wanted to prove her a liar, a coward. The trivial details of her family life didn't concern him. But he had to wade through the shallows if he wanted to get deeper.

When Shinpi was eleven, she had her first period and the pain was so intense she vomited on her sheets. Her father refused to clean them, told her to do it herself. He scolded her for staining her mattress. Her mother came to help, and he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her out of the room.

This was also when Shinpi realized she could feel the elements again, calling to her through the filament of her humanity. The water pipes in the bathroom burst, flooding the floor, when she walked out of her bedroom, shoulders squared and eyes glued to her fathers.

Whatever he saw on her face, it loosened the fist in her mother's hair and allowed the woman to slump to the floor.

For the first time in over a decade, she grinned and it was the least human expression she had ever plastered over her features.

Hiei paused here, reassessing the emotions in the memory, the thrill of power. This was more of what he was looking for. Unlike the Shinpi before him now, this girl brimmed with rage and energy. It overflowed from her. He wondered what happened.

Her power had always been wound around her emotions and unlike _before_ she couldn't control herself. Every flicker of impatience, anger, frustration, sadness and guilt sparked some wild arch of her energy. So she saw herself as the danger she was, afraid of hurting her mother or some other innocent, and she bottled the power up so tightly it would never see the light of day. She worked day and night to collapse it against her bones, until no one would have been able to sense it. She created a void around herself, the absence of her energy unnatural and yet perfectly fitting for this unusual hell she'd found herself in.

Ah, so more of the same cowardice and hiding. That seemed about right to Hiei. But also, drive. She started training herself. Small things meant to build muscle and stamina, but she did them with great dedication.

During her childhood, she avoided making friends. She didn't want anyone to come home with her. She didn't want to go home with anyone else, because from her experience human parents were the worst. Her peers lamented their families constantly. Whining about all the rules and the misunderstandings. It seemed quite the bother for everyone and she had a hard enough time managing her family, she didn't need the added stress.

By the age of thirteen, Shinpi had hit her limit. But she tried to quell her constant rage, eyes glued to the veneer of the table when her father bellowed his discontent with meals. She bandaged her mother's cuts with light fingers and soft murmurs of comfort. And her mother would apologize, beg for forgiveness.

"I would never blame you for his sins." Shinpi told her, one day, dabbing disinfectant on a cut along her mother's collarbone. "He's not one of us, we don't really need him."

"One of us?"

"A Takani."

"What's a Takani?"

"Our family. Peacemakers and warriors. Healers and kings. We come from a line of strength and that is still in us. He doesn't have that. His anger is due to his weakness, not ours." Shinpi explained softly. "Kuya, the mother of our line, she was brave. We are too."

And her mother stared at her as though she'd become the moon, full of soft light and mysterious comfort. Shinpi looked back and offered a smile.

"We're Takanis." Her mother repeated, and it sounded like a chant.

"And no man will take that from us." Shinpi nodded, leaning forward.

There wasn't a day she didn't regret that conversation. It had left a charred mark on her soul, leading to the tragedy it did. It was her fault, entirely. If she hadn't put hope in her mother's heart, lit that fire in her spirit, it wouldn't have blazed so bright so quickly and burned their lives to the ground.

But then again, perhaps it was better to die fighting.

The regret, pain, felt fresh and new. Hiei rebuked against it, disapproving of the emotions while dismissing them. But the words were interesting, the sentiment in the moment ringing true and clear. Even in her hot anger she sought to offer comfort and hope. Unusual for a demon. More so, he supposed, for a human in her position.

She threw herself into her secret training. Developing her body as best as she could given her resources. Practicing her techniques even if she refused to call on her power.

That same year she noticed Shuichi for the first time, truly. They'd always been in school together, but he had never quite earned her interest. Not until she heard his guarded secret totally by happenstance, putting her violin in its case after a long practice for a concert coming up. He must've thought the school empty or her too oblivious to be a problem.

Or maybe his brash friend simply didn't care for his privacy. Because the cloaked apparition had no issue calling him by that secret name here, of all places.

"Kurama." The shorter boy approached, all harsh edges and darkness. "Let's go."

"Just another moment, Hiei, I'm nearly done."

Shinpi pressed her right shoulder, then her back, against the wall near the cracked door of the music room. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as her eyes widened, while she desperately called on every trick she knew to cease the frantic rhythm of her heart.

Kurama. Minamino was speaking to a demon who called him Kurama. She'd heard stories of the thief. But this boy looked nothing like the man she'd heard described in legends. A flicker of hope ignited in her, and shaking, she dared to allow it to spark.

Could it be?

Was it possible?

Was there someone out there like her? The mere question made her look down at her hands with a smile, some lost part of her coming back to life as she considered the possibility. Another demon, buried in a human body like her. What could that mean?

Why did it give her hope?

Hiei startled at the memory. He hadn't expected it. He turned over three times, searching for deceit and finding none. Simply hope. No ill will directed toward Kurama or himself. No reflex of using the information for her own gain. She had known for a decade, then, and had never uttered a breath. He scoured any thoughts connected to this moment and found them empty of malice. She didn't trust Kurama, she didn't particularly care for his charming personality, but it had never occurred to her to use his secret against him.

Because she still looked to him for hope. His strength and growth and family, it all meant something more to her. If this thief, known for his selfish antics, could find love and acceptance and humanity, surely she could too. And yet, her newer memories found this to be a childish wish. There was no hope for her. Only her path.

Only _him_.

When she was fourteen, Shinpi came home to the usual sound of yelling. She dropped her backpack on the ground by the door, desperate to change out of her school uniform. The violin case came next, more gently. Her spine grew rigid as she turned toward the kitchen, eyes wide when she heard something new.

Her mother screaming back. Her tension ran down Hiei's spine.

Her mother telling her father to leave. That they didn't need him. That he would _never_ lay a hand on them again. Not her, and definitely not her daughter.

They were Takanis, and they were stronger than he could ever understand.

"What the hell is a Takani?" He bellowed.

"Something amazing!" She screamed back, with all the fire of a dragon's breath. Her words brought down the house around their ears, filling it with heat and power.

He slapped her as Shinpi came to stand with her toes just on the other side of the threshold of the kitchen's entrance. And to everyone's shock, her mother's hand reeled back and her fist slammed against the side of his face in return. Her knuckles hit his jaw with a crack of thunder, and the sound of it echoed. It was her first and final act of defiance.

Muted pride, defiance, the passion of vindication lapped at the memory and Hiei in it. Shinpi's reactions visceral and pure. And just as suddenly as their heat washed over her, it disappeared, replaced in seconds by the cold emptiness that haunted her most days still.

At the age of fourteen, Shinpi watched her father stab her mother in the stomach, chest and arms with a kitchen knife until she stopped twitching. Blood pooled under his socks, bringing a shine to the black cotton.

"Clean this up." He spit at her, the bloody image of the barbarian he truly was.

Humans were the worst. Hiei had to agree. Even he found this moment distasteful.

Shinpi turned and walked into the living room. With purpose she stepped onto the navy blue couch, using the back of it to reach the red sheathed sword fixed to the wall. A family heirloom handed down on her mother's side. A useless trinket, her father had called it repeatedly. He had laughed when Shinpi expressed interest in learning to use the sword.

He'd told her the damned thing didn't even open. It was a piece of junk. Just like her mother. Joke was on him, though.

"And what are you going to do with that, worthless brat?" He stared at her from the kitchen's threshold, blood streaking over his shirt and pants.

"That should be obvious. I'm going to kill you." She told him with all the emotion of informing him of the weather.

"You're a coward just like your mother. You won't do anything."

"I am a coward. That much is true." She agreed.

She pulled the blade free of the sheath, holding it out to her side as she stared at him. He eyed the sword, then her, and she knew that look.

He was afraid of her.

And he had every good reason to be.

For fourteen years, she'd avoided the weapon. It reminded her too much of her failures. It was a relic that meant nothing but pain for her. Worse than that, she couldn't control it. The flames had always danced with her emotions, but in this body her emotions had their own will. So when the fire came, she couldn't stop it. Not that she had really tried.

Her father died screaming, full of fear and begging for mercy and it wasn't enough. She wished she'd had time to make him fully understand. She wanted him to suffer as her mother had suffered for countless years, but the fire was raging and there was nothing for her to do. She wasn't about to die with this worthless lump of quivering flesh.

So she grabbed her backpack, her violin and walked out the door until she got to neighbor's house, an old woman who had always complimented her mother's gardens. Hiei recognized the wizened face as the old woman who had spoken to Kurama outside Shinpi's gates.

"My house is on fire." Shinpi told the woman, surely covered in burns and blood. "Could you call the authorities?"

"Was anyone still inside?" The woman asked, seeming to already know the answer.

Shinpi didn't answer her at first. "He killed my mother."

"He must have gone mad, to kill such a lovely woman and then set the fire himself. You're a brave girl, trying to save them." The woman told her, an unspoken knowledge shining in her eyes. "A shame, truly. I'm sure he'll have attempted to take his own life in the process."

"I'm sure you're right. I think I saw him attempt suicide with a sword." Shinpi looked over her shoulder at the smoke pouring from the windows and the growing brightness engulfing her home. "Truly, some sort of madness."

"Guilt erodes the mind." The old woman stated and Shinpi nodded.

"Are you going to report me?" Shinpi asked and the woman merely smiled a particular kind of smile. It spoke they bonded by some truth. The smile of a kindred spirit.

"For what, dear?" The woman asked, the picture of doddering innocence.

She lost the sword that day. Initially, Shinpi had guessed the police had taken it. But eventually she came to understand a demon had whisked it away, sensing the flare of power she'd unleashed.

The pitiless reaction earned a modicum of Hiei's respect. Maybe less, because she'd chosen then to slack off on her training. To give up for a while. But it also explained her connection to the blade and why it was so formidable. Koenma's concerns rang valid. And with a sneer, Hiei realized he had gotten her. He had what he needed to put this coward out of her misery. But he delved onward, looking for more recent memories.

She spent some time somewhere foreign to him, surrounding by a few humans who held her closely and listened when she didn't speak. It was oddly wonderful to her, their strange acceptance of her brusqueness and her cutting glares. The language they spoke was just as unfamiliar and unnecessary as their faces to him.

When Shinpi was fifteen, she sat across from Minamino Shuichi on a train and asked him if he loved his mother. He was quiet, but she'd heard his mother was incredible ill.

"Naturally." He answered her, looking up from the book in his lap.

She nodded, her fingers tightening around the case of her violin. Then she slid out of her seat and waited for the doors of the train to open as they slid into her stop, her face surely contorted in shadow. She had wanted to ask more, but a new presence had forced her away.

Well, not new, just unfamiliar. That dark energy swirling around a body much too small to contain it all. She ducked off the train and let the dream of reaching out to Shuichi fall to the pavement.

They weren't alike, after all, even if he was also a demon.

She couldn't rightly claim to naturally love anyone, not even her mother, after what she had allowed to happen. That night, she said a prayer for his mother, wishing her well. It felt like a silly thing to do, reaching out to deities who probably didn't exist, but it was all she had in her arsenal.

She heard later that Shiori Minamino made a full recovery, inexplicably, and she liked to think her prayer had landed on the right ears.

Months later, as she sat in the stands of a massive arena on an island full of demons, she watched as Shuichi, here known solely as Kurama, and his team battled against insurmountable odds. Every fight left her raw with amazement. Shinpi grew exhausted with how often this team deceived her sense of battle. Barely any fight came out as she called it.

What an invigorating thing, to be wrong when it wasn't her life on the line.

"What's he doing? He'll never fight again!" She cried, grabbing Shikari's arm as she gestured wildly toward the cocky demon calling on a power too wild for him to manage.

That's how they met, Shikari and Shinpi. In the stands of The Dark Tournament, one of them petrified of Hiei's Darkness Flame and the other so entirely invested in the match they couldn't imagine dying. Shinpi pulled her hand back, suddenly realizing she'd grabbed a stranger, but grabbed Shikari again a moment later to haul her away from a stray bolt of flames that struck through their section of the seats.

She stood up right after, running to the railing separating fans from the arena floor and leaned over it, eyes wide and mouth in a full lilting grin. Hair blowing in the rush of energy, her body trembled with excitement. The cobalt of her eyes glittered in the face of the danger.

"You're more dangerous than they are, aren't you?" Shikari whispered, looking down at her with all the confidence of a startled rabbit.

Shinpi didn't answer her, but instead offered only a look, and that was all it took. Shikari swallowed, and from that moment on, she stayed close to Shinpi throughout the matches and several times after that. Their loose alliance was less to do with any sense of companionship and more about need.

Hiei cared less about Shikari and more about how Shinpi had regarded him. He stuck here for longer than necessary, fidgeting with the memory as if savoring it. Rolling it around to memorize its edges. He didn't like that she had seen them all in battle. It put everyone at a tactical disadvantage, and with little prodding, he found her thoughts mimicking that sentiment. But still, Hiei found himself partial to the way she thought of them. At the very least, it was interesting.

"What are you?" Shikari had asked at some point after, while they worked together to get the Infinity Chain Shinpi had set her mind on having. "Why aren't you afraid of anything? These demons are powerful."

"I'm afraid of plenty." Shinpi remarked by way of answering. And Shikari accepted it, not delving further.

Shinpi met Genkai soon after, seeking out the old psychic after she'd been revealed in the tournament.

"I saw you fight." Shinpi sat across from the old woman, sipping on jasmine tea.

"Then you should know I'm supposed to be dead." Genkai snapped at her.

"You're not the only one." Shinpi set her cup down and just like that, she poured out her history to the old woman.

Her whole story, spilled out to this woman known for her ruthless nature toward demons. Shinpi would've called herself insane if she'd been able. This was the least sensible thing she'd ever done, but the gamble seemed sure to her. She couldn't place why she thought Genkai would help her, but she did.

It was a gut feeling.

"You couldn't have picked a worse time. I've got three snot nosed psychics coming to my door any minute." Genkai complained. "I'm not a tutoring service, you know."

"Psychics?" Shinpi frowned. "Does this have anything to do with the increase in apparitions?"

Genkai leveled her with a harsh stare, then smirked. "You might of use to me, Mikamoto. I'll help you if you help me. Yusuke is a dumbass who gets easily distracted. Once I bring his attention to this matter, I want him to focus on it."

Shinpi crooked and eyebrow, and with that conversation their allegiance and friendship was born. While Genkai ran Yusuke and his team around Mushiyori battling psychics and saving the world, Shinpi tracked down lower class apparitions that snuck through the gaps in the barrier, eliminating them with her Infinity Chain.

So the old woman and Shinpi had been in league for years under their noses. Hiei raged against that idea, but also, the shining respect in her memories of Genkai made it hard for him to argue her as a threat. She'd meant what she said, she valued Genkai and would listen to her.

Shinpi left Japan again, visiting more strange places full of foreign faces and languages. It seemed she crept her way back to the temple between these adventures, but she was still gone for months at a time. She went back to the place she'd gone when she was in her teens, reconnecting with those faces. Hiei didn't understand it, her defiant loyalty to these useless humans who lived half a world away from her.

But whether he understood her motivation or not, he couldn't deny the loyalty. It rang clear. Just as it did when she thought about the old woman who took her in after her house burned down or Genkai or Yukina. A piercing, relentless surge of protective loyalty surrounded all them. But eventually, she had to come back to Japan. She had to make decisions and live up to her name.

Over the following years, Shinpi visited the temple often. She met Yukina again, a charming apparition who had saved her _before_ but didn't quite know how they knew each other. They became friends. But Genkai alone truly understood the cryptic and guarded conversations she had with the young woman. She advised Shinpi to keep up her life, go to school, get good grades, maybe even a land a job.

Shinpi had always suspected that Genkai hoped she'd give up this relentless pursuit.

But she never did. And eventually, after years of searching and sifting, she finally found her chance. Shinpi caught wind, through Shikari, of the sword's whereabouts. And a plan formed. Things were proceeding according to her whims when she found out about _him_.

He was looking for the sword and the woman who had owned it before it was stolen from the ashes of her home. The woman whose neighbors had heard her scream that she was a Takani. And since he wouldn't find her, what with her being dead, he would find undoubtedly search out her daughter.

Shinpi.

And the confrontation she'd been avoiding thinking about, yet mindlessly plotting, suddenly seemed too close. Her search for the sword escalated because if _he_ was coming, she needed to be prepared.

So, she started to watch. Crouching in trees cloaked in darkness, looking for her way into the group of detectives so she could fulfill her plan. Wandering passed them on the streets. Eating at their ramen stands and playing near them in arcades. But it seemed fate had other ideas. Years had passed since the King's Tournament and everyone knew Hiei's status. He rarely entered Human World anymore, and when he did it was unlikely to see him in the cities. Only the temple. Her one relief in all of this was that she wouldn't have to deal with him or his Jagan eye.

So why, for the love of the gods, was he staring at her through the branches of this tree in this damned park in the _middle of this fucking city_?

The plan adjusted from there. There wasn't any time to wait for him to leave. She just had to figure it out. Play to their weaknesses. Infiltrate the group as quickly as possible. At this point it didn't matter if they trusted her, as long as they needed her.

Hiei found this particularly vindicating and amusing. Her intense reactions to him held sharper edges than most of her other emotions. Good, he'd use that to his advantage. It also seemed that under the veneer of her neutrality, she was a whirlwind of quick thoughts and harsh emotions. Her mind picked out things he wouldn't have thought to look for.

Her memories of Yukina were fond, warm and protective. Sincere dedication. Duty. Nothing Hiei needed to worry about.

Their fight had gotten to her. It made her feel weak, another point Hiei savored. But it also fueled her. She needed to get stronger. She needed the sword to even the gap.

Her conversation with Kurama hadn't been as effective as the fox had thought. She'd been more than aware of his games the entire time and while Hiei guessed he should have been concerned, he more amused than anything else. She tolerated so much for her façade. Even Kurama tracking her through the city for two days before she spitefully planted his seeds by her gate.

Her fondness for Kuwabara too, seemed genuine. She felt him honest and refreshing, something to be molded and utilized. In Kuwabara she saw boundless potential that was going untapped and she wanted him to see it too. She would make him see it.

Hiei examined her thoughts that lead her through the warehouse. Through her fight. Her honor raging against the imposter. Her guilt at striking the woman. And her release at saying her own name. _Worth it_.

Was it though? It had lead her here to this office surrounded by members of Koenma's little team, the Spirit Defense Force lurking outside, waiting for another chance to chain her up and beat her. Genkai at her side, quiet and strong as a pillar, a monument of patience and sardonic wisdom.

And Hiei.

He stood before her with his hand out and the Jagan wide open, his presence in her head barreling through her lifetime of memories to decide if she had anything in her redeemable enough to merit saving. His crimson eyes closed in concentration, a crease settling into his brow. If he weren't who he was, she'd have admitted he was handsome.

As it was, her shoulder hurt just looking at him.

He probably thought that was funny. Cocky little bastard. But his poor humor wasn't her problem. His sense of morality was.

It was over before it started, in her opinion. Even with Genkai's appraisal, they'd all go with Hiei's decision. And she knew what he'd decide. She'd made her peace with herself before he'd even set eyes on her the first time. Hiei knew this was true. And her astounding ability to map out a situation was nearly mesmerizing as he watched it unfold.

In her mind there was nothing about her worth saving. She was a coward, a murderer, and a liar by default. Her mere existence was an affront to the senses, his probably more than any other.

Hiei opened his eyes slowly, but the Jagan didn't close. He lowered his hand, scrutinizing the woman before him. The shreds of paper in her fist crinkled as her grip tightened, her eyes pinching and her lips pressing into a hard line. But her head remained high, her shoulders squared.

"What do you think?" Koenma prompted from behind him.

Hiei glanced back at the toddler, then disregarded him, instead choosing to focus solely on the woman.

"I already know what he's going to decide." She told them, so sure of her fate.

Hiei couldn't allow that, could he?

"Shut up. Wait until you're asked to speak." Hiei told her firmly. "I have questions."

She crooked an eyebrow.

"Do you still believe what you told Mirna?" He asked.

Hearing her human mother's name spoken aloud sent a bolt of pain and reverence through her ribs. Shinpi couldn't hide her shock, or confusion. Her eyes scoured over him.

"Yes." She answered him in a hoarse whisper.

"Why didn't you say anything about what you heard that day in the school?" He demanded, and she pulled her brows down.

His vague and yet precise questions confused her. She'd been anticipating accusations, details, contempt. This interrogation left her concerned, preparing for an attack. Hiei sort of enjoyed it, the power he had over her in this moment.

"Why would I?" She asked him in return.

"It would have made decent leverage."

"I'm not interested in blackmail."

He nodded, scanned the room, then let his gaze settle back on her once more. "My last question, before I make my decision. Why would you pray for someone you don't know?"

"I didn't realize knowing someone was a prerequisite for not wanting them to die." She responded coldly. "She's an important fixture merely for the reason that she is loved. Isn't that reason enough to want her healthy and happy?"

Hiei turned to look at Koenma over his shoulder, his tone haughty. "Release her into Genkai's care."

"What?" Shinpi blinked at him repeatedly.

"I said to release you to Genkai." He repeated, turning back to her with clear annoyance. "Is that a problem?"

"Alright." Koenma frowned, leaning back in his chair but agreed. "If you think that's best."

"Well, on a condition, that is." Hiei's use of the phrase she'd trapped the team with raised the hair on her nape.

This was going to be worse than execution, she could already tell. Hiei's lips pulling up in a harsh smirk, only served to confirm her belief.

"A condition?" Koenma asked. "What is it?"

"She's got to beat me in a fight before she can get that sword back."

 _Rotten bastard!_ She shook in her quiet anger. _How dare he? Who the hell does he think he is?_

Hiei looked at her over his shoulder, silently raising a finger to his temple and she paled.

"Oh, and no more seals. We're all going to be allies from now on, so we won't need secrets." Hiei tacked on verbally, but his voice whispered through her mind. _You should be happy, I just spared your life._

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip to keep her mouth closed. Hiei shoved his hands into his pockets, glowing with a disproportionate amount of self-satisfaction for his good deed. Walking toward her, he turned his attention to Genkai, that smirk still firmly in place.

"I'll send word to Mukuro that my return will be delayed." He told her. "Since I'm going to be so very busy helping Shinpi earn her sword back."

Genkai offered a sagely nod, then glanced up at the woman next to her. Steam practically rolled off of Shinpi's skin, but she said nothing.

"What do we do with the sword?" Kuwabara asked, gesturing to the scabbard on Koenma's desk. "Does it go into the vault or what?"

"I'll hold onto it." Hiei offered, and no one missed the actual twitch that shook Shinpi's body at the utterance of the words.

"Hiei's really enjoying this, huh?" Yusuke leaned over to Kurama, who nodded back. "I haven't seen him this happy since the barrier fell."

"I agree. And I'm a little concerned." Kurama admitted, quietly.

"Do I get any say in this?" Shinpi finally spoke up, her voice calmer than she expected it to be.

Hiei plucked her sword from the desk, offering her a look that boiled her blood. "You get to say thank you."

Her teeth audibly clacked together, grinding as she clenched her jaw shut. Her eyes went to the sword then back to his face, then around the room, before closing. Her eyebrow twitched even as she took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

"I have a request." She ignored Hiei, stepping around him to see Koenma clearly. Before she could get interrupted she went on. "I'd like to train Kuwabara while I'm under Genkai's watch."

The room stopped. Then Yusuke snorted before falling into a fit of hysterical cackling.

"Damn, Kuwabara how fucking terrible are you at fighting that someone wants to train you while they're on parole?" Yusuke jabbed at his friend, tears in his eyes.

"Shut up, Urameshi! She just seems my potential unlike your dumbass!" Kuwabara yelled back. "I think it'd be great, personally. I mean, come on, how often does a super cool demon take on a pupil? I'm all for it, especially if it means that I get to beat you."

"Yeah right." Yusuke chortled.

"Is this acceptable to you?" Shinpi looked away from the arguing boys to confer with Koenma. "Genkai and Hiei work to polish me or punish me, or whatever their goals are, and I work to strengthen Kuwabara."

"Why do you want to do that?" Koenma asked her seriously. "I'm skeptical that a demon like you would do this out of the goodness of your heart."

"Because I like him." She shrugged and that was the end of the conversation.

Koenma squinted at her. She stared back, unfazed. Her hands slid into her pockets with a sigh and she turned away from him.

"Suit yourself. Master Genkai, whenever you're ready." Shinpi nodded to the older woman without a smile. They started to walk off together, side by side, chatting idly. When they passed Hiei, Shinpi didn't bother lowering her voice. "The last demon who scuffed that scabbard was quartered."

"Is that a threat?" He asked her, a little too hopeful that it was.

"Merely a statement of fact." She responded coolly. _Enjoy your meager, undeserved sense of power while it lasts._

"I'll be sure to keep it somewhere safe then." Hiei assured her darkly.

Brushing passed him, she groaned to Genkai. "I hope the baths are prepared. I feel like I just wallowed in a pit of filth."

Hiei cut a glare at her back, his fingers tightening around the sheath.

"I thought you didn't like babysitting." Yusuke pointed out after a moment, grinning at Hiei. "Have you got a thing brewing for her?"

"What?" Hiei growled at him, disgusted. "This isn't babysitting. It's revenge. I'm going to utterly destroy her. She'll never get this useless hunk of metal back."

"Sure." Yusuke nodded, not at all subtle with his tone. "Revenge."

"I'd rather crawl into bed with an actual dog." Hiei informed harshly. "That woman is vile. She's mouthy and petulant, and overall a coward."

"So why did you speak up for her?" Koenma asked him, clearly annoyed.

Hiei scowled.

"Because, the one common thread through all of her memories was the desire to keep others safe. She might be a coward, but she's a coward with honor." Hiei snapped at the prince.

It was the truth, but only part of it. Her drive to protect others intrigued him, and it did speak of her character, but it wasn't what had tipped his decision. He'd honestly still been more than willing to send her to the gallows, ready to gleefully announce how she'd murdered her father, until he'd seen her memories of the tournament. Vain, maybe, but her sense of amazement watching him fight pleased him. The Dragon of The Darkness Flame had never been done before, and it had leveled part of the stadium, but she hadn't fled with the other cowards.

She'd run towards the fight full of the brightest emotions he'd felt while he'd been scanning her thoughts. Intrigue, wonder, happiness, awe and the unmistakable light of a competitive spirit. In the face of his overwhelming power her reaction hadn't been to cower from it. She had wanted to _challenge_ him. Her excitement lingered in his mind, thrilling with his own.

The others claimed she was powerful, once. She remembered it that way too. If that were true, he wanted to test it for himself. He knew she'd do just about anything to get her hands on this sword. He had no doubt she'd fight him tooth and nail for it.

It was purely selfish, giving her this pardon, but he wanted to see if she could really do it.

He wanted to know if at her best, she could beat him.

And he wasn't going to give up until he found out.


	7. The Truth

**A/N: A short chapter because I just finished moving. I've had this written up and knew if I delved any further in this chapter it would end up being forever long. So, chapter 8 will see some progress on the whole front. I'm all moved into my new place now, old place is donezos and I am so relieved that I could sleep for a week. Except I'm going to be driving from Maine to Virginia on Wednesday and will be down there for at least week.**

 **Thank you all for reading!**

 **Chapter 7- The Truth: In which Shinpi sulks, Hiei gets frustrated and Genkai reveals the secret to getting Shinpi to talk.**

* * *

Shinpi lounged in the bath, hair piled atop her head, strands sticking to her cheeks and neck from the steam rising off the water. The hot water eased the aches in her muscles. The Epsom salts Genkai had suggested were wonderful, the herbs sprinkled into the water working with them to calm not just her wounds, but her ego.

The relaxation she'd eased into strained, her eyes opening slightly as she shifted in the water.

 _On a condition, that is. She's got to beat me in a fight before she can get that sword back._

Her eyes closed again, nostrils flaring as she sank deeper into the water until it reached just under her nose. Forget him. Forget his petty smirk and his poor attitude. Forget the fact he had invaded her memories and used them to his advantage like the scoundrel she'd taken him for. Forget the pride on his face as he picked up her sword.

Forget the way he had lingered at the memory of her watching him fight for so long she relieved it twice while he turned it over.

Arrogance at its finest.

Just forget it.

And definitely don't think about him invoking her human mother's name. Don't focus on how easily it rolled of his tongue, without hesitation, as if he'd known her all his life.

 _Do you still believe what you told Mirna?_

No. Don't think about it. Just don't.

She sank deeper into the water until it came to just below her eyes, relaxing and allowing the heat to invade her.

 _I'll be sure to keep it somewhere safe then._

She dunked under the water, no longer bothered with getting her hair wet as she pressed herself down to the bottom of the bath. Surrounded as she was this way, her senses dampened, her mind quieted down. This was the right way, her way. Water had always been there to comfort her. If she had gills, she might never find a reason to step onto land again except to experience the sensation of wind over her skin.

By the time she left the bath, the water had grown tepid, and so had her temper. Complacent for the moment, she wandered through the halls of the temple to find the room Yukina had arranged for her. She didn't make it far before her feet came to a stop, heavy lids raising only slightly to assess her roadblock.

Hiei regarded her, head to toe, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"Is my robe not to your standards?" She asked him blandly, wrapped in the temporary garment with her bag of clothes and toiletries dangling from her hand. "You seem like you're dissatisfied with something."

"You're not on vacation." He told her, eyes narrowed.

"Alright." She didn't react to his statement.

"You took your time in the bath." Hiei pointed out, as if this bolstered his point.

"Do you not bathe?" Shinpi asked him calmly, head tipping only barely to the right.

Hiei faltered, surprise then annoyance flitting across his features before he stepped closer to her. "Don't get smart."

"Apologies, I hadn't realized intelligence could offend you. I'll try to keep myself at your level." She crossed her arms, not smiling.

"What did I just say?" Hiei growled at her. "While you're in there taking your sweet time, you could be training."

"Oh, is that what's bothering you? You can relax. I have no intention of fighting you." Closing her eyes, Shinpi moved to walk around him.

Hiei's eyes flashed wide, his mind processing what she'd just told him. On autopilot his arm shot out across her body, wrapping around her far shoulder and stopping her in her tracks. His fingers tightened as he understood her, his eyes moving to watch her from the side.

Her eyes opened too, slowly and with clear aggravation.

"What do you mean you have no intention of fighting me?" He demanded. "I've got your precious sword, the whole reason you did all of this-"

"Should I doubt your honor, Hiei?" She asked him and the ice in her tone made him clench his jaw. "I had taken you as a man of your word."

"What are you talking about?"

"You told me you'd keep it safe, didn't you?" She brushed his hand off of her with her own scowl, turning to face him. "As long as you're being honest, I have no reason to fight you. The sword is safer in your hands at this moment than it would be in mine."

He blinked once.

"If Hiro were to come for me today or tomorrow or even this week, I wouldn't be able to defeat him. And honestly, I'd rather die than be captured. If the sword is safe from him, and he kills me, his mission will be a total failure. So, really, you've done me a kindness in confiscating it." She informed him, her scowl slowly turning into a shit-eating-grin. "As long as you have that sword, I have nothing to worry about."

Hiei stepped forward, leering over her with a snarl.

"Are you really content with that? With your precious artifact in my care?" He demanded of her. "I thought better of you."

"You thought I'd show you my all, didn't you?" She grinned up at him and it wasn't a friendly expression. "I could tell from the way you focused on my memories. I'll admit, I had to think on why you would speak up for me, but I eventually figured it out. You're selfish and prideful. It would make sense for a small minded creature like yourself to crave victory over me. No doubt Koenma regaled your lot with legends, right? And you wanted to test me to see if they were true."

Her words struck at the truth and he hated her for it.

"Except you didn't take one thing into account." She tilted her face up and a devilish light grew in her eyes.

"What's that?" He asked her harshly.

"My utter and total lack of respect for you as a warrior." Shinpi told him, lowering her voice as if she were whispering her needs to a lover. One finger traced down his cheek and jaw line, her body nearly leaning into his while her teeth bared in that hateful grin. "I don't fight dogs, Hiei. So you might as well run home and sit at Mukuro's feet where you belong, and beg her to forgive your absence like a good pet."

She pulled away from him, jutting her chin upwards and watching his anger bubble up from the pits of his being. He hunched his shoulders forward, teeth bared as he fixed her with a heated glare.

"Shut your-" He started to raise his voice immediately and her grin only grew.

Until her expression broke, eyes darting to the side as another voice interrupted them softly. Hiei glanced over to Yukina too, sure his fury was still painted over his features.

"You're supposed to be resting!" Yukina scolded immediately, coming down the hall. "You heard what Genkai said! You need to heal up before you can start training."

Hiei pulled back, confusion sweeping over him.

"Yes, I know. I was just on my way to bed when Hiei stopped me for a chat. That's all. I promise I'm not fighting, Yukina." Shinpi sighed. "Right, Hiei?"

Her trying to pull him into her deception made him snort.

"I heard Hiei yelling." Yukina pointed out with a frown.

"Yes, because he didn't like our discussion. But I very plainly told him I wasn't going to fight him." Shinpi explained, opening her hands in a wide gesture. The movement caused her robe to fall down her shoulder. She pulled it back up quickly. "There it is, Yukina. It's not my fault he can't take no for an answer."

"You two are impossible." Yukina complained, hands on her hips. "I can't have you shouting at each other and bickering all the time. Honestly. Hichi, get to bed. Hiei, leave her alone."

 _Hichi?_ Hiei stared at Shinpi, scanning her. Yukina hadn't seemed to see it. Blue eyes moved to meet his, a barely apparent squeeze of the lids warning him to keep his mouth shut for once. It happened in an instant, but he understood. He pulled back, nodding, mostly to Yukina but also the woman beside him.

Why she'd want to keep the handprint he'd left on her a secret wasn't his business, but he would abide her will on this one. Yukina would go off on him if she saw the mark. He hadn't even meant to leave one, but he must've grabbed Shinpi's shoulder with too much force to stop her from getting around him. He'd been distracted by his thoughts, not paying attention to his actions. Still, for her to not react at all in the moment, it proved she was stronger than Yukina thought. The mark was already an angry bruise, it must've hurt.

"Fine." Hiei shoved his hands into his pockets, closing his eyes. "You're spared for the moment, Shinpi. We'll finish our conversation tomorrow."

"I'll wait with bated breath." She nodded to him curtly, then followed Yukina to her room.

Hiei glared at her back then strode the opposite direction. He found Genkai outside in the garden, sitting on a boulder with a cup of tea. She didn't say anything as he walked up to her but he knew she was waiting for him. The old woman had that habit.

"She's a handful, isn't she?" Genkai asked him, teacup still held up to her mouth before she sipped.

"She's all but impossible to deal with." Hiei agreed. "Every time she opens her mouth I want to smack her."

"Suppress the urge if you can. Once you get passed that part things get interesting." Genkai assured him with a knowing smile. He looked her over. "She's got a wealth of knowledge behind her, Hiei, and even you could stand to learn something from her."

He huffed.

"Be as contrary as you'd like, but there was something about her you wanted to preserve otherwise you would've told Koenma and the others the truth." Genkai told him easily, turning her attention upwards.

"I wanted a fight. It seems I'll be left wanting." Hiei complained. "A waste of my time."

"She's going to be raw with me over it, but I'll tell you one of her secrets." Genkai unraveled herself, coming to standing on the boulder so she could look down at Hiei. "Amon-Shinpi doesn't lie unless it is the absolute only option. She'll tell you as much of the truth as she can, treating any hidden details as erroneous, but she won't lie. She might choose not to speak at all in some cases."

He thought back on their encounter in the hall, her haughty speech about why she wouldn't fight him. Yukina had accidentally offered the whole the truth though, pointing out that Genkai had forbidden the act. A detail Shinpi hadn't thought to mention. It had been misleading.

"Why does that matter?" He asked Genkai cautiously.

"Because once you know she won't lie to you, all you have to do is learn to ask the right questions." Genkai jumped off the boulder and landed easily on her toes, making her way for the temple. "Questions, perhaps, along the lines of why her opinion of you became so tainted so quickly and what that has to do with Mukuro."

Hiei considered it, nodding slowly. Then his eyes opened wide as he jerked his body around to face Genkai's retreating figure, a memory bursting to the surface.

"Back then, when you said she wasn't interested in fighting me," Hiei demanded, surprised, "that wasn't about the seals at all, was it? You were telling me that she didn't see me a worthy opponent. And you knew I'd get a chance to search through her head, didn't you?"

Genkai turned to him, already up the steps, and her grin looked a little too familiar to the one the blue eyed woman had worn not long before.

"Like I said, Hiei, you could stand to learn something from her." Genkai told him.

And he realized, that it wasn't just Genkai who had known what would happen when Yusuke accepted the woman's condition.

It had been _her_.

Shinpi had come to the temple knowing the team would be there. She'd called ahead to Genkai to arrange it. The old woman had no doubt discussed the issues of her plan with her then, and Shinpi had outlined her corrections. When the woman had offered her condition, Genkai hadn't been the least bit surprised. Annoyed, more than anything. Kurama had found that unusual.

But it made perfect sense to Hiei now, because Genkai shouldn't have been surprised. Shinpi had already crafted the plan and run it by her.

That's why the old woman had been so insistent Shinpi wasn't their enemy. Stubborn but not inherently evil, that's how she'd described the woman.

By the time he realized the depth of the plot, Genkai's grin had grown, patronizing wisdom glaring at him over the distance of the garden. He straightened himself, looking up at her as she stood on the steps.

"You get it now?" She asked him.

He smirked, a glint entering his crimson eyes as he lifted his chin. "Yes."

Now all he had to do was figure out how to use this new information to get what he wanted out of the woman. He decided to start by following Genkai's advice. Ask the right questions. Accept her partial truths.

Tomorrow he'd start by finding out what she found so upsetting about him and Mukuro.


	8. An Inch of Progress

_**A/N: So, I've been in Virginia for the last week visiting my mom for her birthday. It's been a busy time and I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and finish writing much less post anything, but I found the time today! I'm sorry this is so late. We should be back to the regular weekend posting after this. Thank you everyone for your patience. This chapter was also challenging for me to write because establishing this relationship I want to is taking time and I'm impatient. I want to jump ahead (as usual). Anyway, I'm actually really happy with how this turned out!**_

 _ **We are in motion. I would sincerely love to hear opinions about this chapter.**_

 **Ch 8: An Inch of Progress** \- In which Hiei manages to gain a little ground in his goal and weasels some information and a promise out of Shinpi.

* * *

Shinpi bobbed and weaved around the punching bag, flashing out strikes against it with her taped fists and wrapped legs. Bouncing on her toes, she flitted, spinning and landing a strike with her forearm. Then her left leg. Then right elbow. And around she went, pumping out punches and kicks against the swaying heavy bag until the sound of the floorboards creaking sent her rolling over the floor, a glare aimed at the intruder as she tensed to spring forward.

"There's that vicious look again." Hiei commented. "You seem to be recovering well."

Shinpi slowly unwound herself, rising to her full height to stare back at him where he leant against the doorway. Offering no response, she looked toward the punching bag. Then slowly back at the apparition now blocking the only exit.

"You looked like you knew what you were doing." Hiei went on, gesturing loosely to the bag. "Did you wrap your legs yourself?"

"What do you want?" She demanded, cutting him off. "You didn't come here for small talk."

"I had some questions." He nodded at her curt tone. "When you have a moment."

"Sure." Shinpi then flipped back onto her hands, twisting to wrap her legs around the punching bag. Pulling herself to sitting she threw her weight back, twisting once more with such force it snapped the chain. When she landed on the floor, the bag still between her thighs she landed three powerful punches where a chest and then face might be, if perhaps someone Hiei's height had been caught in the attack.

Getting off the bag, she stood up and straightened her clothes, walking to her water bottle and taking a hearty drink before nodding to Hiei.

"Go on." She allowed, thoroughly unimpressed with his mere presence.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be training." Hiei pointed out, toeing the bag as he moved toward Shinpi.

"I thought were here to ask me questions, not annoy me with your observations." She rebutted, beginning to peeling the tape from her fists.

Genkai's words came back to him, and he decided to test their merit.

"Fine, I'll rephrase it. Does Genkai know you're training?" Hiei poised the question.

Shinpi eyed him, then offered a singular silent nod. Her eyes scanned over him, then around the room for a brief second. "You're baiting a conversation. Why?"

Hiei started, surprised. When he didn't answer immediately, Shinpi turned to face him again.

"What information are your probing for? I know when I'm being interrogated." She told him coldly. "Your body language is stiff. You're being unusually careful with your words and tone. You're not very good at this."

"This isn't an interrogation, it's a conversation." Hiei pointed out. "I wanted to ask you about something Botan told the team before we encountered you."

She waited for him to go on, clear suspicion lining her expression.

"When we were warned about facing Amon-Shinpi, Botan told us he was a formidable demon who had faced Mukuro twice and won. I want to know more about that." Hiei pried, easing into the subject as best he could. Jumping right in seemed out of the question. "And maybe you could explain why she thought you were a man."

"Because of the mask." Shinpi answered easily, waving her hand through the air, but offered no elaboration. "You're Mukuro's lapdog, why don't you ask her?"

"I'm asking you." Hiei stated firmly.

They stared at each other, caught in a moment of silence. Hiei went to ask again, but Shinpi spoke first.

"Are you hoping for some incredible tale?" Shinpi asked him emptily. "Some sense of what your master was like before she softened herself? I'm not interesting in feeding into fantasies, especially not yours."

"You're avoiding the conversation." Hiei pointed out. "Why don't you want to talk about the only victory that I can for certain say you have to your name?"

Again, silence.

Just as Genkai had warned him. Shinpi would rather not speak at all than lie. Hiei found it interesting that this is the conversation in which she was choosing to be silent. He had imagined she'd revel in her victories, it seemed the sort of vain thing she'd subscribe to.

"You don't think of them as victories." Hiei realized suddenly, eyes widening. "Why?"

"For the same reason I couldn't count throwing you onto the ground as a victory." Shinpi answered quietly, glaring a hole into the floor as her fists curled at her sides.

Hiei understood. Her victory over him had been short lived, he'd retaliated immediately and it had resulted in a stalemate. Had her fights with Mukuro been the same? An enemy out of her league that she'd managed to only momentarily disable?

"Is that why you hate Mukuro?" Hiei asked, mildly confused. "Because you couldn't beat her?"

"No." Shinpi responded, voice turning to acid. "That is not why."

"Then-"

"Genkai told you." Shinpi stated this as fact, not bothering to elaborate on what she meant. "And you use this information to ask me why I despise Mukuro?"

Not hate. Despise. An interesting correction to his statement, Hiei figured.

"It was suggested that your feelings toward Mukuro would explain your opinion of me." Hiei acknowledged.

"I'll save you the history lesson, Jaganshi, and skip ahead to what I feel for you." Shinpi offered, capping her water bottle. "I admired your courage and power, but you knew that. You reveled in it. I loathe you now, for that exact arrogance. For your inflated sense of worth. For turning the power you worked so hard for against the people that trusted you. You chose to side with Mukuro in what would have been a war instead of your allies. You spit your insults at me, but at least when I had power, used it to help those that counted on me."

Hiei remained quiet, his jaw tightening as she spoke. The heat in her words and the sudden break in her stoic mask put him on edge. A snarl on her face, fire in her eyes, she looked nothing like the woman she'd been seconds before. He wondered what this version of her might be like, how she'd respond if he lunged at her. Would she go left, right, or face him head on?

"So, it's a matter of principle then." Hiei surmised, keeping his tone lofty. "I've insulted your already worthless honor by not living up to your arcane standards. Only the strongest survive in our world, why wouldn't I follow Mukuro?"

"You're not a very good liar." Shinpi leaned forward to warn him.

"What part do you think I'm lying about?" Hiei wanted to know, sheer curiosity driving the question.

But realizing she'd pulled at the correct thread, Shinpi didn't answer. Her anger melted away into spite, a wry smile stealing over her features. Hiei had come here to get to her, it was an obvious enough ploy. He wanted to goad her into an altercation. However, now she was the one who was in control of the conversation.

Without answering him, she tilted her head to the side. "How did Mukuro pry such strong loyalty from you? Surely it wasn't just her charm. No. It must have been something you wanted that you couldn't attain for yourself."

"Are you suggesting I'm charming enough on my own?" Hiei asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Power? You could have attained it on your own." Shinpi walked closer to him, the careful quiet footsteps of a predator. The wry smile continued. "Fortune? You're a thief. Maybe it was the prestige? But again, I think working with Urameshi would have afforded you that in some way. No, it was something else. Ah. I think I've got it."

Shinpi stopped so close to him they could have brushed against one another.

"Acceptance." Shinpi told him, eyes watching every subtle change in his expression. "Mukuro took a look at you and when the rest of Makai was ready to boil you alive for your sins against your own, she took you in. It would be sweet if it didn't benefit her so greatly."

"Watch it." Hiei warned her, no longer in the mood for her conversational origami.

"Do yourself a favor and when you crawl home to your master, ask her the questions you've been asking me." Shinpi pulled back, spinning on heel. "See if you're still interested in pursuing this worthless vendetta then."

It wasn't until she'd been gone for several minutes that Hiei realized what had happened. She'd usurped the conversation entirely, avoiding his questions and putting him on the defensive. Growling, he kicked the heavy bag, forcing it to roll roughly over the floor.

"Bitch." Hiei seethed, glaring at the doorway. "I'm going to rip her in half."

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Yukina asked Shinpi as they sat down for lunch, Genkai taking the head of the table.

"My head is still a little fuzzy, honestly." Shinpi admitted, sounding mildly annoyed.

"Maybe you shouldn't have been flipping around the training room like an idiot then." Genkai pointed out, offering a stern glare. "What were you hoping to accomplish, exactly?"

"Nothing, I suppose. I just wanted to move some, but when the Jaganshi came in I may have lost my temper." Shinpi offered the information readily, looking less than pleased. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't offer him any friendlier advice on how to interrogate me."

Yukina looked between the two women with a frown.

"I merely informed him you aren't a liar, dimwit. Not to mention, you two will need to learn to speak to each other without it coming to blows." Genkai snapped. "Your skull is harder than Yusuke's, you know. Instead of inciting a rage, you could have just humored him."

"Hard pass." Shinpi closed her eyes, taking a bite of food. After swallowing she went on. "I have no reason to get along with such a petulant, arrogant fool."

"Funny, I was thinking the same of you." Hiei announced, taking a seat across from Shinpi at the table, nodding to Yukina as thanks for his food. "Artful and shameless retreat you made earlier. It must be your signature move to run away from your problems."

Yukina sighed, giving up on any idea of peace for the moment and instead silently eating her food.

Shinpi went on eating in silence. Hiei stole a glance at her face and saw her eyes were closed. Raising his eyebrows he chose to continue eating in silence as well.

"I'm going to make you two hold hands all day if you don't start learning to at least pretend to get along." Genkai warned them both, earning empty stares. "Whether either of you likes it or not, you're a team. Hiei, your job is supposed to be protecting and training Shinpi. Shinpi, your job is supposed to be working with Hiei."

Shinpi pushed away from the table abruptly, not bothering with the rest of her meal. Without a word she walked out of the room and a few seconds later, out of the temple altogether.

Yukina eyed the half-eaten meal with a worried frown, then moved her attention to Genkai. "She won't do it, you know."

"I know." Genkai sighed, annoyed. With a stare, she leveled Hiei. "If someone could've kept his mouth shut and his grudge to himself, this would have all gone more smoothly for everyone."

Hiei huffed to himself, rolling his eyes away from the old woman. He wasn't about to point out that it wasn't a grudge that fueled him, but curiosity. He wanted to fight Shinpi, the Shinpi who had seen him at his then-best and craved a challenge. The woman he was dealing with felt like a paltry substitute.

"She'll come around if she wants her sword back." Hiei pointed out.

"Oh, you." Yukina fussed at him, pursing her lips. "You don't get it at all. Shinpi may be hard headed, but at least she sees clearly. You're letting your goals blind you."

"To what?" Hiei drawled, annoyed but not wanting to snap at his twin.

"You're not the only prideful creature in the temple anymore." Yukina explained then nodded toward the window. Hiei glanced out it, then back to the ice maiden. "Shinpi is doing this all for a reason."

"Yeah, because of some fool named Hiro. I'm aware of her motives."

"You aren't." Yukina assured him. "Hiro is her target, but he isn't her goal and he isn't what drives her."

That gave the fire demon reason to pause and think. After a moment of consideration, he looked over at Genkai, who nodded without a word.

"I was asking the wrong questions." Hiei spoke, mostly to himself, regrouping mentally. A new plan of attack was needed then.

* * *

Fuming, Shinpi marched around the temple toward the gardens. The wind whispered around her ankles, and she ignored it. This was going to be harder than she'd thought. Dealing with Hiei and his prying, his hunger to prove his strength over her.

Picking up a chunk of wood and an axe, she started to split firewood. Her mind wasn't in the task at all. To avoid stewing in her frustration with Genkai and Hiei and the world at large, she started to make plans for the space around her. Yukina had expressed she'd like a greenhouse to keep some plants for the winter. And a trellis or arbor. Some benches so people could come out and enjoy the space. It would be a commitment, but she had time to waste. She could transform this space into the thing of magazines and dreams.

Movement to her left earned her attention, expecting Hiei but finding a cumbersome demon approaching. Her lips pulled up to the left.

Being sequestered in the mountains did have its perks. Spinning the axe in her fingers, she planted it in the ground. She'd get to practice on some moving targets which had always been far more satisfying than punching bags. Plus, it would alieve some of her aggression.

Shinpi took a step backwards, the outside of her foot barely grazing a small clay flower pot. Her lips quirked up on the left side, the movement of casting the pot at her attacker too quick for them to defend against. The pot shattered on its arm and Shinpi took the moment to advance. Her fist slammed against their raised forearm, forcing them to stagger from the impact. Spinning she made to kick them, this attack getting deflected. The demon shoved her away.

"Well. Things are finally getting interesting." Shinpi smirked at her opponent and they launched into a lightning quick trade of blows.

Ducking under a kick, Shinpi launched upwards, slamming her elbow into the side of the demon's head. It grabbed her and did a semi-circle, throwing her over the wood pile she'd been working on. He picked the hatchet out of the ground and spun it in his long fingers. Scrambling on her back, Shinpi rolled and crawled to escape the downward strike he used to try to embed the tool in her. The blade of the hatchet bit into the ground beside. Immediately, Shinpi threw her arm over that of her attacker and throwing her weight onto her shoulder blade and bucking her knees into his chest. Using the moment to flip over, she got to her feet and pulled the weapon out of the ground.

Panting, she came at him. Far more precise and vicious, she landed three shallow blows against his arms before the blade got stuck in a tree to their left. Growling, she released the handle and punched him across the face. He raised his hand to strike her back when the point of a sword showed through his chest, a quick spray of blood following. Stepping back, Shinpi glared at Hiei as the body dropped off his blade.

"I thought you were too weak to fight." Hiei told her, tone biting.

"I never said that." She pointed out, wiping sweat off her forehead. Her hand came away tinged red from the droplets of blood that had hit her face. Making a face, she shook her hand to clear the wetness from her skin.

"Semantics." Hiei argued. "If you can flit around swinging axes, you can spar."

"Sound logic if we were discussing sparring, but we weren't. We were discussing whether or not I'm fit enough to fight you. I'm not." Shinpi wiped her hands on her pants, yanked the axe out of the tree and back to the wood pile. "Come to continue your pointless interrogation?"

She set up a piece of wood and waited for him to answer while she swung down and split it. Hiei watched her for a few strikes before finding the right arrangement of words. Having to slow down and pick his phrasing was a frustrating hindrance.

"What does Mukuro have to do with Hiro?" Hiei finally just spit out the question. The axe bit into the chunk of wood and got stuck.

Shinpi stared at it for a minute, then let go of the handle. She didn't answer him.

"Fine. Why are you so determined to kill Hiro? What is he to you? What do you get out of this?" Hiei chose a different path and watched her grow impossibly more still. Her eyes remained fixed the axe handle.

"Don't you have children to terrify?" Shinpi asked him, swallowing. Her jaw tightened around the words. "Or perhaps a village to raze?"

"You're avoiding answering." Hiei pointed out. "I'm only going to keep asking."

"Yes, I have heard of your propensity for torture." She acknowledged. Then she lifted the axe, the wood coming with it and slammed both against the stump she'd been using as a baseboard. The wood splintered into fragments.

Hiei raised his eyebrows.

"I don't care what Yukina says. Or Genkai. You're a selfish creature driven by your pride and your need to prove your worth." Shinpi told him. "You and Mukuro deserve each other. And just like her, you'll turn your back on your friends when they need you because it won't serve you in any way to save them. And they'll die and you won't feel an ounce of regret because any life that isn't your own has no worth to you."

Shinpi pulled the axe up and then grabbed another piece of wood. Hiei stared at her, surprised by the outburst.

"I don't understand." He told her after a moment.

"How could you?" She demanded, a sharp inhale following the words. "Like I said, you two are the same. Only this time I have the experience to see you for what you are."

"I'm not Mukuro." Hiei told her. "And I haven't turned my back on my allies."

"Allies. You've known them for the better part of a decade, maybe longer, and when you think of them, they still aren't your friends." Shinpi told him.

Hiei frowned at her. "Your deference for language is going to an issue."

"A temporary one, I can promise you." She assured him. "Once I get done with Hiro you won't have to worry about my deference for anything."

"Because?" Hiei titled his head.

She looked at him oddly, raising her eyebrow. "Because I'll be dead. I thought I'd made that obvious."

Hiei barked a laugh. "You're more of a coward than I took you for."

"Upset you won't be the one to drive a blade into my chest?" Shinpi asked him with a snarl.

"Spirit World made you seem like some sort of legendary creature. You thought of yourself as one. I've been stuck with a whining ghost of an apparition." Hiei scoffed. "A pathetic, pale image of what you used to be."

Shinpi picked the axe up and judged its weight in her palm.

"Honestly, it probably would have been kinder of I'd left you to be executed." Hiei shook his head.

And that was all Shinpi needed. That fraction of a second of his attention to not be directly on her. Suddenly her leg pulled his out from under him, forcing him backward, an elbow across his jaw, knocking his chance at balance away from him. He hit the ground. Shinpi grabbed his hair, yanking his head to the side, and the upper corner of the axe bit into the ground by his exposed throat, the blade resting against the thin skin just close enough to barely break through. A thin line of blood welled up and slid along his neck down to the grass under him.

Hiei stared up into the face of the woman pinning him down, her knee pinned into his diaphragm, her nails digging against his scalp. Her lips lifted back and revealed teeth that looked ready to tear into his flesh. She leaned closer to him.

"You're right, I'm not how I used to be. I used to be faster and I would not have hesitated to take off your head." She hissed at him, her voice so dangerously low, he raised his eyebrows.

Then she crouched over him, weight supported on her arms and toes as she hunkered down, eyes scanning the forest close to them. Hiei's position allowed him the advantage of watching her expressions without any barriers. Shinpi squinted, gaze darting and then she pulled her lip back over her teeth.

"We're being watched." She spoke like a breeze, so quiet he almost didn't hear her.

"How many?" Hiei asked her, tensing as he prepared himself for a fight.

"Too far away to count." She admitted. "My senses aren't what they were. But I can feel it on my nape."

Hiei cautiously lifted one hand, and rested his fingers on the base of her neck to feel the hairs raised there. Curious. She had sharper senses than she gave herself credit for because he hadn't noticed a thing. Or she was just paranoid and on edge, sensing something that wasn't there.

Shinpi went rigid, a snarl tearing from her as Hiei wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. He rolled them both, pinning her to the ground with a hand splayed over her upper chest, crimson eyes sweeping over the area. With a tilt of his head he closed his eyes and allowed the Jagan to open. She watched him, so still she might have been carved from stone. When Hiei opened his eyes again, he glanced down at her, something near fascination playing in his eyes for a single second.

"What is it?" She asked him, tilting her head back to keep the tree line in her sight.

Hiei trained his hand upwards, fingertips grazing her exposed throat. Again, she went into that utter stillness but this time he didn't mistake it for anything but what it was. Not an act of defense but one of preparation. The tension of an ambush predator waiting to spring.

"There is no one watching us from the forest." Hiei told her, removing his hand from her throat and teetering back off of the balls of his feet to place his heels on the ground. He remained in his position over her.

"So Koenma, then." She assumed, making a face. "His semi-omnipotence is an unfortunate thorn in this already dangerous patch of roses I've found myself in."

"That intelligence of yours will get you into trouble." Hiei warned her, tapping a finger between her eyebrows. "I also doubt it was you he was watching."

She glared at his hand before he withdrew it. "You then?"

"Likely." Hiei agreed. "The others fear for your safety under my care."

"Care is a generous term." She stated dryly.

Hiei's lips pulled up into a smirk, a little vicious and completely smug. "I'm a generous man."

"I suppose you haven't outright murdered me yet." She allowed darkly. "Though it's only been a day, so, you're probably working your way up to it."

"I have no intention of soiling my hands with your pathetic blood." Hiei assured her, tilting his head again as he looked down at her. "I want to know I've beaten you at your best. That will take time. And time is something we both have in abundance at the moment."

Shinpi remained silent under him, but her anger was palpable. He couldn't help stoking those flames a little. Her attitude drew it out of him, this malicious streak.

"And Genkai has a point, it's my job to keep you safe." Hiei went on, and he knew her damnable pride would reel against him for it.

"I don't need your protection, lapdog. Get off of me."

"Until you show me your teeth, demon girl, I'll have to use my discretion on that matter. And my assessment is that in the first thirty-six hours you've been here at the temple you've already been attacked by a stray demon." Hiei pointed out.

"I have to fight you to prove I don't need your help." Shinpi stated and her jaw tensed around the words.

"What else do you have to fight for?" Hiei asked her and the flash of his teeth sent a thrill down her spine she hadn't anticipated.

"My family." Shinpi told him and it came out in a breath, not a hiss like she'd wanted.

"Your family?" Hiei leaned forward onto his toes, one hand resting on the ground over her shoulder so his face hovered over hers. "Mirna and your wretched human father?"

The fact he remembered her human mother's name and not her father's knotted her stomach in a way she didn't enjoy. But she shook her head the barest inch.

"The Takanis." She clarified and again, it was quieter than she'd meant it to be.

"Hiro killed your family?" Hiei surmised and she stared at him.

"I don't like hearing his name." Shinpi pressed her lips into a line. "I don't like being reminded of his existence at all."

"Did Hiro kill your family?" Hiei pressed, eyes narrowing slightly.

Her eyes pinched closed and her fingers dug into the ground her them. The wind circled them, playing between their and it grew cold despite the building heat of coming summer.

"My curse killed them. And it won't end until I die too." Shinpi kept her eyes closed when she spoke and the words were dripping with pain. "Hiro was merely the vessel, but it was me. My mere existence will destroy everyone I care about."

Hiei blinked, all animosity leaving his face in his surprise. "People aren't cursed, Shinpi."

"I'm not a person." She reminded him and the resolution in the words brought his hand around her throat again. A slight squeeze of fingers. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for a pulse." He told her, then tapped the vein running under the thin skin of her neck. "I want your attention, Shinpi. All of it."

Cobalt blue eyes met his gaze and Hiei wasn't even sure why he was so angry with her. He didn't understand why her speaking of being cursed had unfurled a deep heat in his stomach that riled his blood. But he didn't enjoy the sensation and he was going to make sure she didn't put him through it again.

"You're not allowed to die while you're under my care." Hiei told her firmly. "I won't allow it. Vendetta or not."

"That's not up to you." She growled up at him, her own anger matching his.

"It really is." He assured her. "The minute I vetted you, your life became mine to manage. It's out of your hands."

As if to demonstrate that her life was now in his, Hiei gave a slightly squeeze to her throat.

"I'll make you strong enough to kill Hiro without your survival coming into question, and when you do, you'll face me again. And again. Until I'm satisfied that I've done what no one else seems to have done. And if you can't meet my standards, you'll never face your enemy. I'll make sure of it." Hiei told her, tone turning cold. "I will hunt him down myself and tear him apart and you'll never get your revenge."

"You're a bastard." Shinpi bared her teeth. "This has nothing to do with you."

She shoved her hands up against his chest, prying him off of her. When Hiei captured her wrists they ended up face to face, both roiling with fury.

"My sword, my life, and now my revenge. What else are you going to claim of mine?" Shinpi raged at him. "Selfish monster. I hope your _allies_ learn what sort of man you really are Jaganshi."

"I will take whatever I want until you decide to stop me." Hiei told her, fire in his eyes.

"You have no shame." She seethed. "All of this for what? For bragging rights that you've defeated a demon who is already dead?"

"It's not just about defeating you." Hiei assured her.

"Then what?" She demanded. "What are you getting out of this? Pleasure?"

"Some of that, yes." Hiei nodded. "But more than anything, I get to know I raised a legend from the dirt and forged them into something more than they ever were. After I'm done with you, there will be no denying that I turned you into what you're going to become. Whenever someone utters your name, you'll have to remember that it's because of me."

"Prideful prick." Shinpi spit at him. "I will never allow our names to be intertwined that way. That selfish mentality is why I'm going to rip Hiro into pieces. And when I'm done with him I'll came after you with all the fury of hell fueling me."

And then Hiei smirked.

"Why are you smiling?" She trembled in her anger. "What is funny about this?"

"So it's a deal then. When you defeat Hiro, you'll face me." Hiei told her.

Shinpi's mouth opened then snapped shut. Her cheeks turned red, embarrassment and rage coloring her skin. It screwed up her mouth.

"And a woman of honor like yourself wouldn't go back on a promise, would you, Shinpi?" Hiei lowered his voice into a dark whisper.

"You baited me." She accused quietly, full of malice. "Do you have any honor?"

"I'll have yours before the end of this and I think that'll be more than enough to sustain me for a while." Hiei pulled back from her. "You should get back to your recovery, Shinpi. I'm not known for my patience."

She watched him get to his feet and stewed for a moment longer on the ground. An idiot. She'd been an idiot and walked right into his trap. He was smarter than she gave him credit for, manipulating the conversation and her the way he had. From Kurama this would have been expected, anticipated even.

Another thrill shuddered down her spine as she considered what this might mean for her.

"Oh, and you're not to engage in any more fights until I've cleared you for combat." Hiei told her as he started to walk away. "If you're not fit enough to face me, you're not fit enough to face anyone. You'll train on your own until I say otherwise."

"You can't control what I do." Shinpi got to her feet and glared at him. "I'll do whatever I feel is necessary."

"I can't control you." Hiei agreed, but the look he delivered on her over his shoulder hitched her breathing. "But I can make you regret any poor decisions that may run through that precious brain of yours. And I will make you regret them."

He headed back into the temple and left her outside. Shinpi swallowed, unsticking her tongue from the roof of her mouth. With a wild cry, she grabbed the axe out of the ground and slammed it repeatedly into a tree until it toppled over. Heaving, she stared at the weapon in her hand and then at the temple.

This inane filthy bandit wanted to place himself between her and her goals so badly? Fine. She'd train and play his game. He wanted to see her teeth? She'd embed them in his throat and tear it out.

He'd learn to regret coming between a predator and its prey.


	9. Water from Stone

**A/N: I sort of wrote this all mentally while I was driving from Virginia to Maine and finally sat down to put it in a document. I will admit, I haven't had a chance to go through it with a fine toothed comb. I've been noticing I've been making stupid, easy mistakes (leaving out words, misspellings, and the like) lately. Just a warning, they will probably be in this as well.**

 **Please for the love of all that's holy, tell me if something is confusing to read. I will go back and fix it. Also, thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. Seriously, thank you so much.**

 **Chapter 9- Water from Stone: In which Kurama gets the bulk of screen time, Yukina uses cabbages as leverage, and Hiei and Shinpi get a piece of each other.**

* * *

Kurama stifled a yawn with the back of his hand, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as they begged for more sleep. Unfortunately, they'd be denied just as they had been for the last week. There was work to do and a demon to confront. But he'd come armed, an arrangement of files tucked into his backpack as he ascended the stone steps leading up to Genkai's temple.

So much for a quiet weekend, he sighed. He'd meant to take some time for himself even going so far as requesting the Friday and Saturday off from work so he could rest. He'd been certain that the team's fight against Amon-Shinpi would require much of his strength. However, he hadn't accounted for their target being an imposter and the real thing being carefully hidden under their noses. So instead of his body needing a break it was his mind. Scouring Spirit World's records for nights that felt endless had eaten up his week.

And now it was Saturday and he had woken up at a hellish four a.m. to catch the earliest train he could to Genkai's.

All so he could meet with Amon-Shinpi and talk her history over with her. Ask his burning questions. And also check on her, he admitted. Hiei hadn't contacted any of them about her progress since they'd arrived at Genkai's and he was mildly concerned that his hot-tempered friend had done something regrettable. Koenma seemed to second his tentative uncertainty and had turned to watched Hiei on the screen in his office, Kurama at his side.

They were surprised to find that Amon-Shinpi had sensed their intrusion, acting immediately to protect Hiei from the threat as she crouched over him. Kurama had to admit, he was relieved they were getting along. Hiei had chimed in moments later, his Jagan carrying his brusque warning to butt out to them.

Kurama hadn't bothered checking on them since, seeing as how all seemed to be going well.

Or so he had thought.

"I told you, you aren't fighting until you're ready to face me." Hiei's voice snapped as Kurama crested the staircase. He followed the sounds of bickering suddenly feeling all the more exhausted until he came to stand beside Yukina, who put out with the demons before her.

"I told you I'd do what I needed to." Shinpi grit the words from behind her teeth. "Stop interfering."

"You were warned." Hiei turned to face the demoness, eyes narrowed. "I told you you'd regret not listening to me."

"I'm not afraid of you." Shinpi toed up to him, clearly meaning her words. "If I hadn't moved, Yukina might've been harmed."

"Call for help."

"From you? I'd rather be killed." Shinpi scoffed. "Dish out your punishment, Jaganshi. Reveal your true colors as I see them."

So much for getting along, Kurama thought.

"All week it's been this way." Yukina complained to him quietly. "On her own, Hichi is quite nice. She's warm and charming and quick to help. But whenever Hiei enters the room she turns into a contrary mess who manifests confrontations from thin air. Hiei's not much better. He goes out of his way to challenge her at literally every turn."

"At least the temple isn't quiet anymore." Kurama told her, a small smile gracing his mouth. "You did say you wanted the place to liven up."

"Oh sure, throw that at me." Yukina sighed, forlorn. "Are you here to talk some sense into them?"

"Not so much, no." Kurama said apologetically. "I came to speak to Amon-Shinpi."

"I'll make you favorite dumplings if you manage to convince her to trust Hiei, even a little." Yukina bargained. "Or if you can just manage to help her see the merit in humoring him for her own gain. Anything to keep the arguing to a minimum."

"I'll do my best." Kurama promised.

"It'll be cabbage soup if you don't." Yukina's bright smile made him chuckle as he accepted her threat.

She'd come such a long way since she'd been found in Tarukane's keep. Once so still and quiet, the picture of soft innocence she now held her own prowess. It was easy to miss under the layers of kindness and her generally warm nature, but it was there. In some ways, she was more like her brother than the fire demon seemed to recognize.

"Great. Another one." Shinpi turned to spot Kurama over her shoulder, her expression dulling. "Come to back up your comrade on his ridiculous crusade?"

Yukina looked at Kurama with a look that spoke of her annoyance with this clearly normal attitude.

"Not quite. I came to speak with you." Kurama smiled gently. "You did say we could talk after our last mission, but I haven't had the chance until now."

Surprise straightened her back, shoulders pulling down as she stared at him. Hiei stood behind her, clearly forgotten. His sneer revealed how he felt about being suddenly ignored. Crimson eyes glared at Kurama, whether for the intrusion or something else the fox didn't know.

"I remember." Shinpi admitted, skeptical. "I hadn't expected you'd want to accept. Surely, you think me as horrible as your ally here. Why sully your time with my company?"

The self-disparaging comment made Yukina sigh at Kurama's side. Again, this seemed something commonplace.

"No one thinks that way about you." The ice maiden chided her, hands moving to her hips. "You have to stop saying such horrible things about yourself, Hichi."

"It's not like anyone minds." Shinpi shrugged, but her tone had softened considerably.

"If you think you're so horrible, what does that say about the people who care about you? What's it say about me? You think I have poor taste in companions?" Yukina challenged her with a slight heat to her voice.

To Kurama's surprise, Shinpi's blue eyes widened, her skin paling before a rush of color flooded her cheeks. She looked away from Yukina, shirking down into her shoulders.

"Not at all. You're a wonderful person, Yukina. I would never say a bad word about you." Shinpi confessed, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to insult you."

"Oh she gets an apology." Hiei huffed, crossing his arms. "But I get contempt and your smart mouth spitting nonsense around the clock."

Shinpi didn't engage with him, choosing to walk away instead. Her hands slid into her pocket, and again being ignored by her seemed to inflame Hiei's temper.

"We were discussing your punishment!" Hiei reminded her hotly.

A cold blue gaze caught him over her shoulder, no emotion in the expression. "Do your worst. It won't be the first time I've been tortured. It likely won't be the last. But I won't discuss this in front of Yukina anymore, it upsets her too much."

Then Shinpi brushed passed Kurama to head toward the temple.

"Find me when you're ready fox. I'll be around."

Kurama sighed. He'd expected some resistance but he hadn't anticipated walking in on a brawl. Shinpi paused at the threshold of the door, one hand on the wood, her eyes fixed toward the interior but her voice carried to him unhindered by the distance or angle, despite how quiet she seemed.

"You look tired. Take a nap before you seek me out."

Hiei glared at her retreating figure. "That woman is the worst."

"Oh, you." Yukina frowned at him. "Why are you being so hard on her?"

"She's the one who isn't following the rules." Hiei pointed out. "We had terms. She broke them. I can't just let it slide."

"You could." Yukina told him. "You just want to provoke her. Can't you see your way isn't working?"

"She's training, isn't she?" Hiei shot back coolly and the ice maiden pressed her lips together.

"I'm going to go get started on lunch. I'll prepare the cabbage for dinner while I'm at it." She turned and walked toward the temple as well, leaving her threat lingering behind her for Kurama.

"What do you need to talk to her about?" Hiei asked, stepping over to Kurama as his annoyance simmered down. "Whatever it is, good luck getting her to speak directly about anything. That woman prides herself on her verbal prowess and she will avoid saying anything at all at all costs while making you feel like she's answering you."

"No luck on your end?" Kurama guessed.

"I managed to pry a few details from her, and a promise for a true fight. Other than that she's been careful not to say much to me." Hiei complained, shoving his hands into his pockets. "When I walk into a room she flees."

"How is her training going?" The fox looked around the temple grounds, noting the body the two demons had been arguing over when he'd arrived. "She's picking off the weak, I see."

"She's not supposed to. I told her she wasn't to fight until she was ready to fight me." Hiei snorted. "She's testing my patience. I don't much about her training other than what Genkai tells me, which isn't much."

"I thought you two were getting along. When Koenma and I peeked in, it seemed she was protecting you."

"You must have begun watching right after she tried to decapitate me with an axe." Hiei smirked then. "I wish she was like that more often. It would be better than this dismissive business she's resigned herself to."

"Give it time. I'm sure she'll want to kill you again sometime." Kurama quipped and Hiei glared at him, making the fox chuckle. "What did she tell you?"

"Her and Mukuro have history. From the sparse details, I've managed to gather Mukuro betrayed her in some way. And that she intended to die when she faced Hiro again." Hiei looked up at the sky, squinting at the growing cluster of clouds above. "It's been raining more lately."

"It's the season." Kurama told him. "You said intended, so she's changed her mind?"

"I forbid it." Hiei shrugged, still gazing up at the light grey clouds. "So she doesn't get a choice in the matter."

Kurama eyed his friend, brows raising slightly. He didn't think it would be so simple, and yet Hiei seemed entirely sure this had resolved the issue.

"Why does she want to die?" The redhead asked instead of arguing.

"She thinks she's cursed." Hiei's tone held an edge, his eyes narrowing as he drug his attention to the temple. "What an idiot. I've never met someone so invested in undermining their existence."

"It must be difficult." Kurama nodded, also looking toward the temple. "I can't imagine what it must be like for her to have endured what she has. To lose her family, her land, and then be stuck in a frail body when she thought she'd be dead. This must be nightmarish for her. A hell unto itself."

Hiei frowned, shifting his weight slightly from foot to foot as Kurama spoke.

"It's likely she doesn't have much to live for." Kurama went on, calm but sympathetic.

"She'd have plenty to live for if she'd just fight." Hiei spoke quietly, almost begrudgingly. "It's her own fault she's this way. She could take back what's hers, she just doesn't want to."

"Fighting won't bring her family back."

Hiei stopped talking, bothered to his core by Kurama's words. What an annoying feeling, the sudden heaviness in his guts. He hated it. He hadn't considered that part of Shinpi's explanation nearly a week before. She'd told him she was fighting for her family. That it was her fault they were dead. Was that really something to kill herself over though? He couldn't imagine why.

"You never answered me about why you're here." Hiei pointed out, changing topics. He'd gotten used to these sort of conversational tactics from dealing with the woman.

Kurama smiled at him. "I've been researching you charge. I just want to check on some facts, maybe learn something about her."

Hiei eyed the backpack with heavy speculation. "Hn. Good luck with that. You'd have better luck wringing water from stone."

* * *

"Did you sleep?"

Kurama stopped, halfway into the room and glanced at Shinpi as she lounged on the windowsill with a book propped up against her bent leg, the other hanging from the window. Outside the clouds had grown heavy with rain, this room saturated with the scent of a coming storm. Wind fingered through her dark hair but she didn't seem to mind.

"I'm afraid not." Kurama answered her, pulling the door closed behind him as he entered the room fully. A small library of sorts, perhaps it could be called a study save the lack of a desk. A sitting room would be a better name, he decided, noting the comfortable chairs set up in the center.

"Be careful with forced sleeplessness, it affects the functions of the brain." She flipped a page in her book idly. "You wanted to interrogate me?"

"Not so much. I did have some questions, but I wouldn't say it's an interrogation."

"Ah, yes. Hiei never calls them what they are either, these conversations." She nodded, eyes glued to the page. "You can sit you know. I doubt I'm a threat to you."

He wasn't so sure.

Kurama turned a chair so he could see her and claimed it as his own, opening his backpack and pulling the files out. She glanced at him, blue eyes roving the papers and manila folders before returning to the yellowed page of the leather-bound book in her hand.

"Someone did their homework." She commented from her post, tone carefully ambivalent. "With that much paperwork, why do you need me?"

"Spirit World has a way of the smudging the details in their favor." Kurama admitted. "I found discrepancies."

She eyed the papers again, then him. A careful sweep of her attention from his hands to his face. Her attention went back to her book. After several minutes Kurama decided she wasn't going to speak again without being prompted so he began to talk.

"I read up on your family history. The Takanis, that is. I found it all quite interesting." Kurama told her. "You have an interesting heritage."

She turned a page in her book.

"Your territory too, seems unusual, especially in Makai." He went on. "An oasis is nearly unheard of, especially one as peaceful as yours was. Very peculiar how it seems to have appeared from nowhere when your grandfather settled on it."

When she didn't respond in anyway, Kurama shifted in his seat. Hiei was right. This was one vault that seemed inaccessible to him.

"Your sister, Kuya, she came to Human World with her human husband, didn't she? She settled and started a family here. By all accounts she was a bit like Yukina in personality. I thought that was interesting. Is that why you are so protective of Yukina?"

Another page turned.

Kurama kept the sigh trapped in his chest, trying not to show his growing tiredness with this one-sided conversation.

"Who was Kin Jiro?" He asked her and this time she visibly reacted.

Kurama wanted to retract the question the minute he'd spoken it. The impact on her was immediate, the pain on her face undeniable. Her lips fell open in silent anguish, The skin of her knuckles bleeding to white as her grip on the book tightened mercilessly. Swallowing, she tried to compose herself.

Her eyes moved to his lap, to view the papers he'd been flicking through and she slid off the windowsill to walk over to him. With shaking hands, she pulled the single sheet from the pile, her eyes glued to the face portrayed in the black and white copy of the portrait he'd found. A young boy, messy black hair and wide eyes with a cheeky grin. She staggered to the wall, sliding down it to rest on the floor, the paper clutched in her hands.

A shaky breath several minutes later let Kurama know she hadn't forgotten him. "What's it say about him?"

"The file?" He asked and she nodded.

"He was a good boy. It says that right?" Her voice quaked and she tried to keep it under control. "Spirit World has to know he was just a child. He never did a thing wrong in his life. He was a good boy."

It sounded like a plea. Kurama looked down at the papers in his lap. "It doesn't say much at all. Merely the name with some accounts that he was a Takani. Only ever seen with you. Until-"

"Until Hiro took him from me." Shinpi nodded and brushed her fingertips over the boys grinning face. "My heart and soul. Everything I was, stolen in a breath. I will never be the same person again without him."

Kurama realized he had touched on something incredibly private but he couldn't think of a way to backpedal out of this conversation. He couldn't seem to think of a way to go on either. He hadn't mean to expose Shinpi to what obviously was the catalyst of her fall. Much less had he intended to unwittingly discover it. The name was tossed in with a group of others, family, but the connections weren't exactly explained.

But the boy's name was on a list of deceased relatives with the rest of the Takanis.

He should have known, looking at the dates.

He'd been a hapless, sleep deprived fool.

"My boy." Shinpi whispered the statement with a sigh and when Kurama looked at her, she was inexplicably smiling despite the unshed tears in her eyes. "I never thought I'd get to see him again. Thank you, Kurama."

The warmth in those words felt suffocating when he knew he'd caused her so much pain.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized he was your child." Kurama told her quietly. "I would never have so casually-"

"He was my brother." Shinpi shook her head, inhaling through her mouth after shaking her head. After another few seconds she was steadier. "I raised him. Mother and father died when he was just over a year old. All we had was each other at the time, Kuya already gone to raise her own family. But brother or not, he was my boy."

She walked over and pulled a chair next to Kurama's, angled toward him. "I was raising him to be a king, you know. And he would have been the best of us. He was strong like me, but he had this shining light in him. It was so bright. He got that from mother, I think. Oh, and he was so smart. There wasn't a day that went by when he didn't impress me. Kin was the only consolation I had after my parents died."

She smiled again, looking at the picture before sliding it back to Kurama. He accepted it and placed it back in the pile, examining the boy with more interest than he had before.

"Hiro killed him because he couldn't get to me." Shinpi explained, her tone hardening. "He died because I'm a failure. I should have never left them alone. But I was idealistic at the time, I thought Hiro and I were going to rule the world together. I didn't see the harm in leaving Kin at the regent and answering Mukuro's summons alone, as she requested.

"When I showed up, she told me I was a fool. That I'd made the gravest of errors. She had never sent for me, and she certainly wouldn't have trusted Hiro alone in my stronghold. He was a monster, she said, and I'd been blind. That I'd brought whatever was happening on myself. I've never run so fast in my life, trying to get back to the castle.

"But I was late. I was so incredibly late. Hiro had taken my brother and placed him in chains, had carved his heart from his chest. It had all been a farce, all our years together. A ploy to get to our power, to claim our land and blood. He wanted to be the strongest. I lost myself. I destroyed it all to get to Kin, even though I knew he was gone. I felt it in my soul the minute he died. I was crazed, in mourning and angry with myself. A combination that made me weak.

"Hiro survived the havoc I wrought. I barely managed to as well. My energy spent, my brother gone, the kingdom in shambles and the person I thought I could trust now my enemy, I wandered to regroup. To try to pull myself together enough to end it all once and for all. It took years. I kept finding myself drifting out of fugue states in the strangest places. A floating village of ice, for instance, where a small girl took me in and tried to help me."

Kurama stared at her, and she played with her hands, an unusually insecure motion he hadn't expected to see from her.

"When I asked Mukuro for help, she denied me. Told me to handle it myself. She wasn't risking her armies on my cause. I had done this to myself. So I did. I came to Human World, weak and withered, and passed the sword to Kuya's oldest living descendent and told her to pass it down her family tree. But only to the girls." Shinpi sighed. "Takanis were never born female. Not until myself and Kuya. But Kuya's family was all female."

She took a breath to collect her thoughts and went on, the pain in her chest aching around the hole she was reminded resided there. The hole where her family was meant to be.

"After a few more years, my strength began to grow again. I toyed with my time, I devolved into something hideous and monstrous and stopped caring about my family's pacifism. I had never cared for it, honestly, but I had abided by it. With them gone and my name disgraced, there was nothing for me to protect. So I killed without pity, I took what I needed, and I kept myself numb anyway I could." Shinpi went on. "Eventually, I came out of the haze to find myself nearing my complete strength and I set my plan into motion. I confronted Hiro and decimated his armies with every wave he sent after me. We warred for nearly a week before it was just us, ragged and exhausted. And just when he thought he'd gotten me, his hand in my chest like it had been in my brothers, I opened the earth underneath and made it swallow us whole."

"I know it will ring hollow, but I'm sorry." Kurama told her, reaching over to place his warm hand on her arm. He offered a comforting squeeze. "I'm sorry that your rebirth put you in a position to lose it all over again. When you tell Hiei this he'll-"

"He cannot know." Shinpi pulled back from him quickly, alarmed. "That one can never know."

"Why?" Kurama demanded.

"Because I have enough of my failures thrown in my face by that wretched man. I will not allow him to use Kin against me as well." Shinpi explained hotly. "You cannot tell him, Kurama. You can't. If you do, every conversation will turn into a burr of him using my brother to motivate me to meet his goals. I won't have it."

"If he looks, he'll find most of what you've said in the files." Kurama frowned at her. "Your history is mostly documented."

"I don't care about my history. You cannot tell him about Kin." She implored him. "Please, Kurama."

Swallowing, Kurama nodded, but he winced. "If I may ask something in exchange for my silence on this matter?"

"I should have presumed blackmail." Shinpi frowned at him, her expression dulling. "How in character for you."

"I'm actually just the middleman on this one. Yukina asked me to convince you to humor Hiei a bit. She's tired of the fighting." Kurama admitted. "She wants to see you two getting along."

"Impossible." Shinpi shook her head. "I have no respect for Hiei. For that matter I can't imagine why you have any either. He chose to fight with Mukuro instead of any of you. How can you forgive that betrayal?"

"Hiei needed someone who could help him. He never worked against us." Kurama assured her.

She simply stared at him, unconvinced.

"Hiei doesn't want you to die. That has to count for something in his favor."

"He wants me to live to fight him. He doesn't care about me or my wellbeing. His motivations are entirely selfish." Shinpi pointed out. "I will not subject myself to someone like him again. As far as I'm concerned he should be licking Mukuro's boots, not here annoying me."

Kurama sighed. Cabbage soup it was for dinner.

"Hiei believes that you are more than you think you are. I'm beginning to think he sees something you don't." Kurama told her, giving up on the conversation.

"He sees plenty I don't. That's why he got that damned third eye." She pointed out dryly but the comment made the fox chuckle. The sound wrought a smile from her. "I suppose, for Yukina, I could try to find a compromise."

Kurama hid the fact this news perked him up.

"I don't know what good it will do though." Shinpi sighed.

"He told me you came after him with an axe. He said he wished you were like that more often." Kurama hinted.

"He should be careful what he wishes for." Shinpi smirked. "Be a shame if something happened to that handsome face of his because he was running his mouth."

Kurama raised his eyebrows, leaving the commentary alone. Then he passed the copy of the portrait back to her. "Keep it. Spirit World has the original and I don't need it. Plus, it'll keep Hiei from examining it in your file."

She accepted it and bit her lip to keep the tears at bay, but one slid down her cheek anyway as she cradled the paper against her chest. "Thank you."

* * *

Sighing heavily, Shinpi stalked into the kitchen knowing Hiei was taking his tea inside to avoid the rain. She stared at him, then glared at Kurama, then back to the fire demon. Hiei raised his eyebrows then pulled them down, glancing at Kurama then back to Shinpi. Her file lay open before him, a paper clutched in his bandaged hand.

"Well, are we going to spar or not?" She demanded of him, annoyed.

Hiei blinked at her, setting the paper down as he tilted his head to assess her.

"Did Kurama drug you?" He asked her seriously.

"Shut up. I want to be able to protect Yukina. You're getting in my way. If sparring with you proves my capabilities, then I'll do it. No weapons. Just us." Shinpi gestured between their bodies. Then she looked toward the window behind him. "Training room?"

"Right now?" Hiei asked her, but a light had entered his eyes.

"Right now." She nodded. "Don't get your hopes up, Jaganshi. You still clearly overpower me at the moment."

"I'll prepare myself to be disappointed by you, as usual." Hiei remarked getting to his feet. He followed her out of the kitchen, allowing Yukina and Kurama to stare at each other.

"Do you need help preparing the dumplings?" Kurama asked slyly, a grin on his face.

"Later. I want to watch this." Yukina brushed her hands on her apron then peeling it over her head. "Let's make sure they don't kill each other."

Kurama chuckled and agreed, wandering after her. Genkai eyed him in the hall, falling into step beside him.

"Strange turn of events." She told him, suspicious.

"Truly." He nodded.

* * *

"We should set parameters." Shinpi declared, standing a few feet away from Hiei as she stretched her arms. "We already established no weapons. How will determine a victor?"

"I'll be the judge." Genkai announced. "Goal will be to incapacitate your opponent, trying to avoid knocking them unconscious. I'm not sure your brain can take much more damage, girl."

"That's fair." Shinpi winched, nodding. Turning to Hiei she asked, "Do you agree?"

"That you're brain damaged? Absolutely." He smirked. "Also, I accept the rules."

"Ass." She frowned, then dropped her arms. "On your word, Genkai."

"Go."

Shinpi remained still as Hiei surged forward, accepting the brunt of his attacks with a formidable defense. She deflected his punches easily enough, her blocks preventing him from causing any actual damage to her body. Then Hiei stumbled forward as she side stepped him, her foot hooking around his shin and pulling the leg from under him. He spun and growled at her.

"You lean pretty heavily on your upper body. Makes your lower half an easy target." Shinpi told him, dully.

"Are you going to fight or not?" He demanded and she shrugged. When he lunged at her, she again evaded him. "Shinpi."

He moved toward her again, and again she deftly avoided being captured. The next time as well, earning an annoyed growl from the fire demon. His eyes widened when she giggled in response, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"This is sort of fun." She admitted. "You're sort of adorable when you're annoyed."

He moved faster and still couldn't managed to wrap his hands around her little throat. Soon they were a blur of quick pounces and quick getaways, an odd dance forming. Hiei turned to lunge at her from the side and found an arm wrapped around his throat from behind, forcing his head back as a painful pressure jostled his Adam's apple.

"Pay attention to your surroundings, Hiei. You're too focused on where I am." Shinpi chided lightly. Then she pushed him away from her and grinned.

The expression was light, actual enjoyment painted in her eyes. Hiei had to blink at the display for a moment. A mistake, it seemed, as Shinpi ran forward and slammed the heel of her hand into the underside of his chin. She spun, the back of her elbow nailing him in the solar plexus. As he tried to recover his breathing she reached under his arm, locking her grip as she shifted her stance and sent him crashing down against the floor at her feet.

Another rush of air wheezed out of his lungs and Hiei lay stunned for a moment before rolling to a plank and pushing himself up, his crimson eyes full of fire as they locked on the twinkling cobalt of Shinpi's gaze.

"Did you enjoy that?" He asked, tone low and menacing. "I hope you did because you're going to pay for it."

"Big words from a man who can't catch me." She teased him, her grin growing. "Come on, Hiei. I'm waiting for you."

Something about her words, or maybe her voice when she spoke them, pried a smirk from him. The fact she'd used his name slid right passed him. Then she grunted as he appeared before her, his fist slammed against her abdomen. When she doubled over, he grabbed her shirt to hoist her to her toes but she raised her arms and slipped out of the garment and rolled backwards over the floor to get out of the situation.

Chest heaving, clad in her workout sweats and her sports bra, Shinpi nodded at him, a new spark in her eyes as well.

"Again." She demanded, her grin turning feral.

Hiei couldn't wait to oblige her. He went to grab her and she slammed her knee against his inner thigh, a palm strike landing under his shoulder blade. When he whirled around, his hand clamped around her wrist and drug her close. Shinpi grunted, and when she made to hit him with the other hand, he captured that one too.

"Caught you." Hiei panted the words, surprised he'd had to work harder for this victory than he'd originally supposed he would.

"But can you keep me?" She asked him, tilting her head up with her own breathless question.

Then she planted one foot on his hip, using that to brace herself as she threw her weight back. Hiei held fast, which is exactly what she'd hope for. Her other foot came up and planted in the crook of his shoulder then both legs moved around his neck. Hiei recognized the position too late, Shinpi's thigh's tight around his neck and head as she threw her weight back, breaking his hold, and drug his upperbody with her as she landed on her hands and sent him once again careening against the floor.

Instead of regrouping, Hiei simply rolled the minute her thighs loosened and he pinned her down, one knee planted against her far hip, the other trapping an arm. His grip on her throat was a bruising warning, but a hair from actually strangling her.

"I'd like to see you get out of this one." Hiei swallowed, trying to catch his breath.

Shinpi's eyes burned like blue fire and it made him hungry for another round. She struggled in his hold, a fruitless effort at best. But then she grinned and her free hand came up, stopping a half-foot from Hiei's jaw because Genkai called the match. But the space was enough for him to have felt it, the sudden disorienting pressure in his ear and jaw, the unfamiliar hum of energy igniting a new wave of stamina in him.

"Shinpi, lower your hand." Genkai demanded when the woman didn't do it automatically.

"Do it." Hiei goaded the woman under him. He wanted her to hit him with her energy. He wanted to know what it felt like colliding with his skin.

But she let her arm fall back to the ground with a dull sound, moving her eyes from his face as she seemed to lose herself in thought instantly. Hiei waited another second before getting off of her, mildly annoyed with Genkai's obvious interference. As he straightened, Shinpi raised her hand to him.

"Be a gentleman for once in your life, scourge, and help me up." She demanded and Hiei raised his eyebrow before grasping her hand and hauling her to her feet. "Are you satisfied?"

Hiei wanted to tell her no. That he wasn't. That the sense of her power had left him anything but satisfied with their fight. But he didn't press it.

"You can fight when provoked." Hiei allowed, jutting his chin away from her. "But you have a long way to go. You're at least capable of protecting yourself and Yukina here."

"That wasn't a yes." Shinpi told him, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm aware." Hiei informed her, bending to scoop her forgotten shirt off the floor before tossing it to her. "Next time will be better."

That earned a look from the woman as she accepted her shirt from his hands. "It might be a while before there's a next time."

"Then I suggest you make the wait worth my time. I expect to be able to use some of my energy next time we spar." Hiei told her.

She pulled her shirt back on and glanced at Genkai, who stared at the two of them. Then she looked back to Hiei and he distinctively got the idea he was missing something pivotal. He turned to stare at the old woman, eyes narrowed and she greeted him in kind.

"It's not your energy I'm worried about." Genkai announced, then frowned at Shinpi. "You could have brought the whole place down if you'd unleashed in here."

"Hardly. I'm out of practice, not entirely without control." Shinpi huffed. "At worst I'd have busted his eardrum."

"You can't permanently disable any of our fighters, Shinpi." Genkai spoke like this wasn't the first time she'd had to utter the phrase.

Hiei, Yukina and Kurama all lifted their eyebrows. Shinpi merely heaved a sigh, clearly put out.

"I'm hungry." Shinpi announced, as if to dissuade any further conversation. "We should start on dinner, Yukina."

"I'll prepare snacks. Kurama is assisting me tonight." Yukina smiled at her. "You should go take a bath, Hichi. And you too, Hiei. You both worked hard."

Hiei huffed, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. Kurama, Genkai and Yukina filtered from the room leaving him alone with Shinpi.

"She was worried I meant to kill you. I didn't." Shinpi explained before he could ask her to. "It was a good session, I enjoyed myself. But don't for a moment think that means I like you or what you stand for, Jaganshi."

"Hiei." Hiei corrected her.

Shinpi cast him a quizzical look.

"My name is Hiei, not Jaganshi." Hiei told her, assessing her reaction. "You should use my actual name."

She squinted at him, her the vein in her jaw ticking away, but then she opened her mouth. And closed it promptly after. Then, after a moment of consideration she spoke. "Hiei, then."

Hiei immediately regretted asked her to call him by his actual name. The way she said it, without spite or fury, made him swallow. He'd heard his name all his life and for some reason, he felt like he was hearing it in a new way.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, a new and unusual current of tension running between them that had nothing to do with wanting to beat the consciousness out of each other. Then, Shinpi brushed her palms against her pants and rocked her weight from her heels to her toes and back.

"Well, I'm going to go bathe."

"Me too." Hiei hurriedly nodded, looking for any excuse suddenly to flee the room. They both rushed towards separate bath rooms, neither eager to be left alone again. And neither could quite pinpoint why.


	10. A New Breed

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed and favorited or followed! It means so much to me to see people enjoying this story.**

 **Lots of Hiei's inner workings in this chapter, but not his POV. I want to write a chapter in his perspective soon. I think it'll be interesting, given the events that are coming down the line. We will also get to see some of Shinpi's actual powers soon too. Let me know what you think of this! I always love constructive critiques, or even just "I liked this part!".**

 **Thanks again for reading!**

 **Chapter 10: A New Breed- In which Hiei reads about Shinpi's history and forms a 'sure-fire' plan.**

* * *

Hiei poured himself over the pages, sequestered in the reading room so he could be alone with his thoughts. Kurama's files were immaculate and informative as always. There was a table of contents in the front, the pages were numbered, all one fifty-seven of them, and Hiei was certain he'd find cross-references in the back. Not that he looked. The typeface made it easy enough to scan each sheet before laying it to the side in Hiei's own form of order.

Hiei had long suspected that Kurama'd begun numbering things this way not to aid him in finding what he needed but so the fox could piece everything back together when he finished with it.

Hiei's mind didn't work like Kurama's. Where the fox was capable of forming mental fractals to connect dots, jagged arches or spiraling octagonal patterns weaving between ideas to eventually come to a point, Hiei tended to be more linear. Their conversations had been rife with Kurama requesting Hiei become more flexible in his rigid thinking, to see things from other perspectives. Particular when it came to understanding the pea-brained human population Kurama would remind Hiei that their experiences were vastly different than his own and he needed to take that into account.

Hiei scoffed at the mere idea on every occasion. It wasn't his job to _understand_ these pathetic creatures. He didn't _care_ about their lackluster lives or perspectives. And why should he? Where would it ever benefit him?

The fire demon sank into his shoulders slightly, back pressed to the front of an armchair as he staked his place on the ground for more space. Shinpi's words swam back to him despite himself, her accusation he'd betray his _allies_ if it didn't benefit him to aid them. The woman was a gnat even when she wasn't around. He went back to the papers in his hands, eyes probing each word for a deeper truth.

Kurama had organized the file from furthest to most recent histories of the woman. Hiei had no desire to read about her as a child. How could that help him now? She was an adult. It didn't matter where she grew up or with whom. Instead of heeding the chronological order Kurama had established, HIei picked through the multitude of pieces and began to pile them into stacks of what he wanted to know and what he didn't. Then what was useful and what wasn't. Finally, what still applied and what could be forgotten. Because even though the papers spread before him all described and articulated the woman under his watch, she wasn't the same being she'd been when this was gathered.

If she didn't get her ass in gear, she might never be that being again.

A bandaged hand lifted another page and Hiei stared at it dully. Another account of Shinpi's past transgressions, though she hardly seemed the criminal sort. Most of the information was about her political affiliations. For instance, her stalwart alliance with Raizen. He could have anticipated that. But he hadn't thought that Mukuro and the woman had been friends, really, until he read that they'd had a long prospering relationship. The details of how that ended were sparse.

Summarized in less than two sentences: Amon-Shinpi sought Mukuro's aid in overthrowing Hiro, but was denied. She died before any formal action could be taken against Alaric.

In black and white, there it was. Shinpi had gone to Mukuro for help and had been turned away. No reason was given as to why, no matter how much Hiei read. He'd have to ask one or both of them. He thought about it and decided that question could be added to the list he wanted to offer to his commander.

Shinpi wasn't likely to give him any more clarity than the paper in his hand had.

Hiei found this effort of Kurama's to be mostly useless to him, but there were redeemable bits of information awaiting him in the text. For instance, he learned that Shinpi was a wolf demon, and an elemental. Like one of her ancestors she held control over more than one element, a rare occurrence in her line. Wind and water. According to reports of her death, earth if only in one rage-induced incident.

His mind wandered to their grappling match outside the week before and how the air between them had shifted around their bodies, seemingly out of season with its chill. A subconscious effort of hers, he imagined, as he hadn't sensed her energy in the least bit.

Another frustration he wanted to address with her but would bide his time for.

Shinpi, by all accounts, had been brimming with power. Before her alliance had formed with Mukuro, how that came to pass continued to elude the fire demon, Alaric and the Takani's had gone to war over land. Namely, Mukuro had attacked the smaller territory in her quest for expanding her own borders. She'd expected little resistance, Hiei was sure, given the details of the rest of the pack that resided in the oasis.

She was met with utter disaster.

Amon-Shinpi, left unabated, had destroyed armies and sent the pieces back to Mukuro in carts. She left only a single survivor from each wave to depict the carnage in detail to Alaric's masked king. Stories of funnel clouds the size of mountains tearing through battlefields, of mudslides that swept soldiers to their deaths, storms that shook the earth and sky alike.

Mukuro had attended a battle once, seen what Amon-Shinpi was capable of and immediately withdrew her troops back to her own lands. This was meant to be the end of the war. But a small faction had refused to leave, had acted alone and attacked the Takanis after the truce was announced. The faction had killed the king and queen.

Amon-Shinpi blamed Mukuro for the attack. Demanded to be seen by the masked king. They met outside the Takani territory in a desert known for its deadly mirages. Amon-Shinpi had won their fight that day. But it wasn't her control of the elements that landed her success but her efficiency in combat. Between a sandstorm, a tornado, and quick-thinking Shinpi had managed to disorient Mukuro enough to disable her.

She'd claimed the king's mechanical arm as a trophy and after that for some inexplicable reason, they were allies.

Hiei didn't understand it at all. But he was impressed.

He desperately wanted to face _that_ Amon-Shinpi. The one on paper in front of him, recounted by legend and eye witnesses. The one who had won Mukuro's respect.

Setting the paper down, he eyed the still-closed door. The temple was quiet, nearly everyone asleep. Kurama was there in a guest room, slumbering away so deeply that he might not have woken for an earthquake. But Hiei still refused to the leave the room because he'd noticed Shinpi kept odd hours, and she often wandered the temple late. He didn't want to bump into her.

The awkward tension after their sparring match had lingered after their showers and through dinner. Neither of them could seem to leave the room fast enough.

If he was lucky, she was hiding in her room the way he had sequestered himself here.

"Hiei?" Yukina pushed the door open, bringing in a tray of tea of some light snacks. "I thought you might like something if you're going to be up so late."

"Hn." He gruffly nodded and accepted the mug she held out to him.

Yukina settled into one of the chairs and eyed the stacks of paper with some interest and some distaste. "Is all of this about Hichi?"

"Why do you call her that?" Hiei demanded. "No one else does."

"She asked me to." Yukina admitted with a light blush. "An old nickname from her family. We are very close friends."

"Which family?" Hiei wondered aloud, eyes trained on his sister for merely a second before wandering back to the papers spread around him.

"Her previous, I think. She said it came from her grandfather, since she was so much like him." The ice maiden sipped her own tea. "Are you learning anything helpful?"

"I've learned she's annoying." Hiei grumped, frowning. "And that she's an animal apparition, wolf to be exact. Makes her calling me a dog a touch ironic."

"Oh, yes, she told me that." Yukina nodded and Hiei jerked his attention to her so quickly she flinched. Her tea sloshed in her cup, dangerously close to the brim.

"She told you? When?" He demanded. He'd been toiling away for hours trying to unlock any piece of that woman's puzzling mind and she'd just been giving the answer key away to others.

Typical.

"The first night she was here, when I went in to heal her head wound." Yukina explained softly. "She confessed the whole history of how we know each other to me and allowed me to ask as many questions as I wanted."

"So she's being difficult just for me." Hiei complained.

"Perhaps she opened up to me because I haven't battered her skull or left bruising handprints on her arms." Yukina responded coolly and Hiei had the decency to look at least a little embarrassed by the passive admonishment. "Hichi is a good person, Hiei. She enjoys taking care of people. And she's always been helpful to us when she visits."

"How did you know she was a good person if she was lying the whole time?" Hiei asked her seriously. "She could have been anyone. She wasn't what she said she was."

"She was always Hichi to me. She always will be." Yukina sighed. "It doesn't matter her hair color or what name she uses. She's the same. In fact, this Hichi is calmer and more decent than the one I met all those years ago."

Hiei blinked at her, then tipped his head to the side as he sipped his tea. "Her hair?"

"She was a natural redhead." Yukina nodded with a warm smile. "Her hair was brighter than Kurama's. It's how I found her in the snow, when I did. Took ages to stop her shivering. She's not very adapted to the cold. But she said she couldn't feel it. I think, then, she couldn't feel much of anything. It's hard to notice sensations when your heart has been so thoroughly wounded."

The twins remained quiet for a moment. Hiei turned back to the papers with an annoyed huff.

"Did she happen to tell you anything else?" He pried, leaning his head back against the armchair he'd propped himself against as he sat on the floor.

"I didn't ask many questions." Yukina admitted with a small shrug. "It wasn't worth the pain it would have caused her."

"You're too gentle with her." Hiei rolled his eyes. "She'll walk all over you."

"Someone has to show her kindness or she'll forget what it feels like. Between you and Genkai, who is left but me?" Yukina sighed. "Genkai tries to keep Hichi on the right path. She guides her and they are friends, they talk, but she's not nearly as soft as I am. She had no issues with cutting through Hichi with her words if it means driving the point home. You're the same. But someone has to soothe the wounds or they'll never heal."

Hiei once again fell silent as he regarded his sister. She sat loosely arranged in her armchair, feet drawn up onto the cushion and her hair loose around her face and shoulders. A relaxed, pleasant woman in her home.

He felt dirty and out of place sitting next to her, as though his mere presence might infect her.

"You two seemed to get along well enough today though. I'm glad. You're both so important to me, it would be hard having you at each other's throats." Yukina spoke quietly, but her smile grew. "I feel like we are all a family, don't you think?"

Sometimes, more often recently than ever before, Hiei wondered how much Yukina knew. But he never pried into her head to find out. She'd offer him _that_ smile, a little too bright, eyes a little too sharp, and say something like she just had. And Hiei would reel for a second, wondering if she knew his secret.

He didn't want to know if she knew. He was better off not knowing, actually. It was best if he never addressed the pointed tone she used with him at times. Because after all these years, he wasn't sure what he'd do if she admitted they were siblings. He didn't know how to be a brother.

It was part of why he'd been staying away from this world for so long. To put space between him and any crazy notions Yukina may be harboring about _family._

"Sparring with someone is easy." Hiei admitted, quick to change the subject. "It has nothing to do with liking them. I trained Kuwabara too, for a time, remember."

"You should see Genkai and Hichi spar. You'd enjoy that." Yukina offered him a knowing smile. "They pair together nicely."

"I didn't know the old woman still partook." Hiei raised his eyebrows.

"She doesn't often." Yukina acknowledged.

The room lapsed back into silence and it was comfortable. The two of them drank tea as Hiei pawed through the pages littering the floor. Yukina eventually left him, bidding him goodnight and reminding him to get some sleep if he could. But an idea struck Hiei between the eyebrows and his feet found the floor before he carried himself to the bookshelf.

Reclaiming his spot in front of the chair, he cracked open the old tome and scanned the table of contents in the front before flipping to the section that he needed.

Hiei had a lot of blind spots in his working knowledge of other breeds of demons. His facts were vague, the basics, enough to aid him in a fight. For instance, about wolf demons he knew not to get bit by them because their damn teeth could tear your flesh clear from your bones. But beyond that, and that they were quick footed creatures, he didn't know much off the top of his head. Human world didn't have wolf demons and neither did Alaric.

Human World did, however, have wolves and he suspected there would be some overlap.

So he read the section of the book about grey wolves. How they were a pack creature, generally in groups of five to eight but in ones as small as two. Only the alphas mated, the rest of the pack comprised of offspring normally. Adults all pitched in to care for the young. Their territories could range from a few hundred to a thousand miles in diameter. Wolves howled as a form of communication, to alert the pack of their location or to convey some warning. Each wolf had a distinctive howl, a unique voice.

Lone wolves, those who lost their pack by discharge or their own will, rarely howled. These wolves had a shorter lifespan as well.

He moved onto domesticated canines. He found these creatures too craved companionship. They were loyal as well. They also communicated in unique voices and had an array of barks with various meanings. Without socialization they could turn aggressive, shy or skittish. It was noted that domesticated canines could become depressed if they were denied proper companionship.

 _It must be difficult. To lose her family…_ Kurama's words swam to the forefront of Hiei's thoughts. Pursing his lips, the fire demon adjusted his position on the floor.

Some of her behavior was starting to make sense to him. Her protectiveness of Yukina. Her loyalty, as unfathomable as it was, to her foreign human friends, Yukina, Genkai. Her desire to aid Kuwabara, admittedly the weakest of their "pack".

A wolf that had been displaced could be welcomed into a new pack. The pack had to be willing to take them in and the wolf had to be willing to accept.

Hiei continued reading until his eyes began to hurt and eventually, he haphazardly piled the papers back into their folder and left it on the floor. He wandered outside to find a tree and hoisted himself up into it on arms that were shakier than they should have been from his sparring match earlier. Grey light began to filter through the clouds and he groaned, closing his eyes and taking what rest he could for the moment as his thoughts whirled around a forming plan.

Dogs could be trained. They just needed a firm hand, bountiful rewards and immediate consequences. If he put his mind to it, he could get Shinpi to heed his commands. It would take time and breaking her of her stubborn attitude, but Hiei felt confident he could manage. How hard could it be? All he had to do was establish his dominance over the woman, then a routine.

He fell asleep smirking.

* * *

Hiei wandered back to the reading room sometime after the bustle of the morning had started in full. The tree he'd perched in had incessantly dripped water on his head, the leaves still slick with the earlier rain. He'd gotten very little sleep and his demeanor wasn't done any favors by that fact. His patience was already absent when he jerked open the door and stepped inside to find the files he'd left cradled in delicate hands.

Shinpi lounged in the chair he'd posted against the night before, one of the manila folders in her careful fingers, one leg draped over the arm of the chair and the other pulled up to rest the file against. She didn't spare him a glance as she read over the pages, turning them over with only the sound of the sheets brushing each other.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hiei demanded, marching over to her. He reached out to yank the file back but she offered it to him before he could. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have left it out." She lulled the statement.

Hiei looked at her again. She was being unusually languid this morning, looking far too relaxed in his presence. Where was the usual annoyance cast over her expression? Then he realized her eyes were shadowed with heavy bags.

"It's not Hiro."

Hiei frowned, raised his one eyebrow and tilted his head. "What isn't?"

"The culprit." She gestured to the file in his hand. A comprehensive list of missing persons that Kurama had brought along on his trek. There was a post-it note on the inside of the folder that listed possible suspects and Hiro's name had been on the list.

Because in Spirit World she'd suggested him.

She'd been wrong.

"You're looking for a small cluster of low level apparitions. Three or four, I would think based on the numbers. They must be in the city proper too, which might make it hard to find them. Scents tend to mingle and get washed away in the city. There's just too much going on." Shinpi remained in the seat.

Hiei eyed the file.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Not his type." She answered with a frown. "Hiro craves power. He likes to prove himself and lord it over others. These people are too weak to catch his attention. He'd be more likely to target someone like Kuwabara."

Hiei nodded, accepting the information.

"I'm not looking for anything. I've been too preoccupied here." Hiei told her, tucking the file against his side, under his arm. "The team is handling this one."

Shinpi squinted at the far wall, her mind at work. Chewing her lip in thought, she tipped her head back and moved her gaze to the ceiling.

"You don't use your Jagan as much as I assumed you did." She commented, still mostly in thought. "I had thought when you threw your tantrum about the wards that you'd be rifling through my thoughts constantly. And yet you haven't."

"Where is that coming from?" He asked her, then he walked closer and noticed the _other_ file.

The one about her, that included her entire history. The one he'd been so dedicated to reading last night. The reason he hadn't skulked outside until dawn had nearly broken and a large part of why he was so exhausted. It was there, closed, sitting in her lap.

Shinpi followed his line of attention. Then the left corner of her mouth quirked up, her fingers drumming over the file as her expression turned mildly devious.

"It's Kurama's." Were the first words he could think to utter in his own defense, sure this was about to become an argument over invading her privacy.

"I'm aware. Him and I discussed it yesterday." She told him, that same devious grin lilting on her face. "I would have thought you'd have done the research _before_ becoming my guardian."

Guardian? That didn't seem right. Hiei scowled. That implied a far more altruistic reason for him dragging her here. Parole officer seemed to fit better, in his opinion. Warden.

"There wasn't time." Hiei pointed out. "I needed to make an assessment in the moment."

"One that pointedly didn't include my past life." Shinpi pointed out. "Why is that?"

"Required too much energy and I knew the information was in Koenma's books. Your previous memories are tightly guarded, it seems, and they also had little to do with the discussion. Your human life was up for question, not your former."

"Ah."

Hiei squinted at her, not quite glaring, merely assessing her befuddling amusement.

"Did the file shed light on anything for you?" She asked him lightly, toying with the open edge of the manila folder. "Any burning questions you need clarified?"

"No." Hiei narrowed his eyes then. "I don't know what it is, but you're up to something."

Her grin widened and then she slid off the chair, rolling to her feet and handed him the file as she passed him on the way out of the room.

"Yukina and I are walking Kurama to the train then going into town to do some shopping." She announced. "Genkai has her own business today. Are you going to supervise us?"

Hiei thought about it. He saw no reason to go with them. Shopping wasn't high on his list of preferred activities. But not going meant allowing Shinpi to wander off with Yukina. Would she come back on her own? Would she start trouble?

"I'll think about it." Hiei told her firmly.

"Alright. We leave in an hour." She left him alone then, still confused and wondering what the hell she was up to.

Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Especially not for him.

Hiei spun and left the room to hunt down Kurama. They hadn't had much of a chance to speak since the fox had arrived. Leaving the sitting room meant he didn't notice that Shinpi had replaced the books he'd been reading on their proper shelves. Which meant he hadn't drawn the lines between her smile and the fact she knew he'd been brushing up on his understanding of domesticated canines and wild wolves.

Hiei walked off to find his ally to discuss the woman and her strange behavior. Ask some clarifying questions about wolf demons. Kurama was a fox, which was close enough.

Shinpi waited patiently, already plotting and preparing how to handle Hiei's obviously grave misunderstanding of her. He thought he could treat her like a house pet? A dog? She couldn't wait for him to begin. What would he do first? Pet her head? Offer her a treat? Get her a squeaky toy? Her delight was entirely nefarious because she intended to string Hiei's misunderstanding along as long as she could.

Why? Because it would be fun.

Plus, in its own way, it was sort of charming that Hiei was putting in so much effort to try and understand her. It was more than she'd ever given him credit for. While it might be entertaining, it was also endearing.

Something she would deny with her dying breath.


	11. We All Float

**A/N: Yes, this is a reference to It. Hopefully not _so_ similar, but still, the movie gave me the idea for this conflict. **

**Sorry I'm late. I started a new job and have had a switchup to my usual schedule of doing nothing all day to actually working, ha. Anyway, I hope this appeases those of you that had to wait! Also, I hope there aren't very many mistakes. I don't have time to fine-comb edit it at the moment but didn't want to delay the post anymore so. I'll go back through later and try to fix up what mistakes I find. Feel free to note if you see any!**

 **Ch 11- We All Float: In which Hiei's misunderstanding gets explained and Shinpi shoehorns her way into her first mission.**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Kurama's last visit to the shrine. It seemed the mood had improved in some ways. He didn't walk into an argument this trip at the very least. Instead, Hiei, Shinpi and Yukina were all settled into the kitchen. Yukina eyed Hiei with obvious concern mingled with curiosity, as if she couldn't quite understand what it was he was doing. Shinpi, however, merely continued reading her book at the table while Hiei took a few bites of his own food before nodding at her.

"Eat."

Kurama raised his eyebrows at the curt demand. If possible, they rose higher when Shinpi obliged Hiei without condemnation for his tone. Placing a bookmark into the novel, she closed it and it set about eating. Hiei frowned, eying her plate.

"You have less meat than I do." Hiei pointed out.

"Too much makes me feel sluggish." Shinpi nodded at his statement. "I asked Yukina to offer more vegetables."

"I asked her to give you more meat." Hiei countered, eyes narrowing.

"Which is why it's on your plate and not mine." Shinpi responded breezily, not looking at him. Then her gaze flicked to Kurama but she said nothing.

"Just in time." Yukina beamed at his entrance and offered him a plate of piping hot food immediately. "You must have taken the early train again."

"Indeed." Kurama nodded and took a seat next to Hiei while Yukina claimed the one beside Shinpi. He smiled at her, and she offered a tentative smile back. "How have you been?"

"Oh, you know, surviving." She shot Hiei a look. "Barely."

Hiei harrumphed, rolling his eyes. "Your stamina would increase if _you'd eat more meat_."

Kurama had a feeling this was an ongoing conversation. How unusual for Hiei to be so adamant about someone else's dietary choices, though.

"I was actually considering trying a raw diet. You know, fruits and vegetables and raw foods. I think it would help." Shinpi interjected and then smiled at Kurama, luring him into the conversation. "What do you think, Kurama? Do you eat meat at every meal?"

"Not at all." Kurama glanced at Hiei. "I think a diet heavy on vegetables would be fine."

"She needs more protein." Hiei glared at Kurama, his tone final.

Shinpi ducked her head to hide her smile. "I'm alright, Hiei. I had plenty for dinner. Ever since you spoke to Yukina, she's made sure my meals are heavy on the animal and light on the -how did you put it?- bait. We've gone through enough beef in the last week to buy stock in a ranch."

Hiei frowned at her.

"Too much protein can cause fluctuations in moods." Kurama piped up. "While a certain amount is necessary to regulate hormone production, too much can actually have the opposite effect. Our Shinpi should listen to her body. If she says she needs less meat, then she needs less meat."

Hiei shot Kurama a withering look when he said the word _our_ something the fox didn't miss. Then the fire demon's scowl shifted to an expression of thought. Maybe Kurama was onto something with his idiotic speech.

"Hiei's been very earnest about this new training regimen he's placed me on, including the dietary portion. Unfortunately, he's failed to take into account some of preferences. All that aside, it's been fairly effective." Shinpi offered to Kurama with a warm grin that lit up her cheeks and eyes. "He means well, but if you could help me convince him to stop shoving protein down my throat I'd be grateful."

Kurama nodded and Hiei glared at them both before pursing his lips.

"I want to speak with you." Hiei nodded toward the hall and Kurama sighed, taking his last bite before getting to his feet as Hiei left the room.

"Why are you being so indulgent?" Kurama asked the woman before following his friend down the hall.

"Keep watching." She offered, finishing her food with a guarded smile.

Kurama frowned, puzzled, and followed in Hiei's wake only to be drug into a room by his wrist a few steps later, the door thrown shut behind him. Hiei whirled to face him, speaking through his teeth.

"You need to convince Kuwabara to spend some time at the temple." Hiei declared, seemingly resentful of having to even speak the words.

"He'd be delighted if you asked him." Kurama pointed out dully.

"No. It needs to be mostly his idea." Hiei frowned. "I think if I do it, she'll _know_."

"Who?"

"Shinpi, obviously. Keep up, Kurama."

Kurama blinked, closed his eyes, inhaled, and opened them to stare at Hiei again. "Why does Kuwabara need to come here?"

"So Shinpi can develop a pack." Hiei stated as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. Incredulous, he stared back at Kurama. "You said yourself losing her family contributed to her suicidal tendencies. Wolves need a pack. Kuwabara is a decent enough fit and it gets him out of our hair for a bit if she takes him in."

"If he's here, he'll be right in your hair, Hiei." Kurama pointed out, nearly amused. "What makes you think Shinpi will accept him as a _packmate_?"

"She likes him. She said so. And I saw the way she thought of him when we were headed toward her imposter. She finds him worth investing in." Arms crossed over his chest, Hiei narrowed his eyes. "She needs _something_."

"You're taking your newfound responsibility seriously suddenly." Kurama noted. "What happened? Did you two come to an understanding?"

Any hope Kurama had died with Hiei's next words.

"A master needs to tend to their dog." Hiei stated simply, nonplussed. No arrogance or malice in his tone. "As a wolf Shinpi requires certain things, and to get her to reach her potential, I need to make sure those things are supplied. That's why I've taken over planning her training. To establish which of us in charge. I've had a few weeks to put it all together, but she hasn't seemed to notice. She's starting to follow my commands without barking about it."

Ah.

AH.

Shinpi's secret smile suddenly took on a tsunami of meaning for the fox. Keep watching, she'd said. Because she knew what Hiei was up to and was bearing it with humor. Kurama sighed, shoulders sagging as he shook his head slightly.

"Does Shinpi realize you think you're her master?" Kurama dared to ask, almost fearing the response.

"It's our dynamic. I'm in charge." Hiei shrugged. "Whether she consciously realizes it or not, it's what it is."

"Wolves don't have masters, Hiei. House pets do. Shinpi is a wolf, wild. She's no more likely to obey a master than I am. If anything you'd be her alpha and honestly, I don't see her responding to that very kindly." The fox wasn't even sure what this emotion he was feeling could be called. Humor? Concern? Bewilderment? Some mixture of amusement with a dash of knowing this wouldn't end well.

"Dogs are descended from wolves. Some of their mannerisms are the same." Hiei pointed out, a true point but not one that aided this argument.

"Is this why you've been bothering her about her food?" Kurama asked suddenly, green eyes glittering with laughter. "Because wolves are predators?"

"That and she bruises easily." Hiei admitted.

"Iron deficiency aside, don't you think she knows how to take care of herself? She's been doing it for a while now without our interference." The fox tipped his head to the side. "I'm also still confused on why you're taking such an active part so suddenly."

Hiei didn't answer right away, his eyes darting to the side. It took a few moments of silence for him to find the words.

"I read her file." Hiei explained, and it was obvious by how slow he spoke that each word was carefully chosen. "When Shinpi's family was thriving, she was disastrously powerful. Her power seemed to decline when she became king. I want to fight the Shinpi who faced Mukuro's armies, not the one who died at Hiro's hands."

Kurama stared.

And stared.

And stared.

Until Hiei finally growled at him to say something and the fox still remained quiet for a moment, collecting his own thoughts.

A knock at the door prevented him from the detailed admonishment he was about to offer his shorter friend for his selfishness. The door slid open and Shinpi looked at them, expression grim as her eyes glanced between their faces.

"You two have guests." She announced, tone hard. Then her eyes settled on Hiei. "Looks like you're helping with the case after all."

Hiei glanced at Kurama, arching a single brow before they followed her out to the living room. Koenma and Botan waited. The Spirit Prince bore his teenaged form, pacifier clutched between his incisors. Botan wore a pair of jeans and a light colored tee, her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.

"What are you doing here?" Hiei demanded of them the minute he saw them.

"More have gone missing." Koenma told him quietly, looking quite serious. Brown eyes glanced over to watch Shinpi as she leaned against the wall, watching the room intently. "You don't have to stay."

"And yet I doubt you harbor the power to remove me." She told him coolly, none of the jovial light from earlier remaining in her eyes. "I've been watching the news, Koenma. You've allowed this to continue for too long."

"We're stretched thin. The border patrols are meant to prevent this sort of thing." Koenma tensed at her accusation.

"The minute you knew they weren't enough you should have acted. Your hesitance cost lives." Shinpi leveled him with such a cool glare that the Spirit Prince swallowed. "Because your ineptitude, a child has died."

Hiei jerked his attention to the woman and the ice that entered her voice when she'd spoken her last sentence. Her body vibrated with tension, jaw tight, and her eyes held no mercy as they bore into Koenma. Kurama watched too, warily aware of why she would be responding so strongly to this news.

"I've been here for three weeks. Nearly half a week passed before your team agreed to bring to me the imposter. A week before that I confronted Kurama about his menacing shadow. A month ago. That was when I made a point to bring the missing persons to Kurama's attention. When I walked in on a conversation about your team being on high alert. And yet, still, this tragedy occurred." Shinpi went on, remaining against the wall mostly because if she got too close to Koenma she wasn't sure what she'd do.

"There have been distractions." Koenma stated pointedly, staring back at her with all his muster. "Dead demon kings making dramatic comebacks, for instance."

She took a step toward him, teeth bared. "This is not on my hands, but I will happily go and handle this. Say the word, Koenma, and I will show you how I would manage such threats."

"Enough." Hiei spoke harshly, glaring at the woman. "This has nothing to do with you."

Her fury turned to him and he glared back at her, not bothered.

"Bureaucratic nonsense." She spit at them all before reigning herself in through great effort. Seething, she crossed her arms over her chest and fell silent, but her fury was undeniable.

"What happened?" Kurama asked, entering the conversation. "When we spoke a few weeks ago, you said someone was looking into the situation based on Shinpi's recommendation."

"They did. They found nothing." Koenma ran a hand through his hair and chewed on the tip of the pacifier. "Cold trails. The incidents stopped for nearly a week and then picked up. The tragedy Amon-Shinpi mentioned happened yesterday."

Kurama hadn't realized she'd been watching the efforts to fixatedly. He glanced at the woman and watched her glare daggers into Koenma. To her credit, she kept her lips pressed to tightly together the color bled from them.

"I had Yusuke look into this matter as well, given how close he is to it." Koenma went on with his explanation. "He said he caught up to one of the perpetrators but they got away."

"He let it go." Shinpi's words whipped through the room like ice shards in a storm. "Urameshi is more than capable of taking down a D-class demon."

"Extenuating circumstances occurred, he had to make a choice. He made the right one. But it cost him the trail, there's hasn't been progress in days." Koenma frowned at the woman. "That's why I'm here. I'm hoping you two can meet with Yusuke and retrace his steps. Put an end to this."

"I'm busy." Hiei dismissed him immediately.

Shinpi tensed behind him, unnoticed.

"Kurama can go." Hiei went on, oblivious to the ire he'd drawn toward himself.

Kurama, however, hadn't missed the shift in Shinpi's attention and caught her eye. With a scant shake of his head he silently begged her to control her temper. She stared at him, then glanced at Hiei, then settled back against the wall retracting the single step she'd taken.

"You'll go." Shinpi declared and the statement caused Hiei to turn to face her, bewildered. "If it helps make it worth your time, I'll go with you."

"I don't need your help." Hiei snapped at her. "Our time is better spent here, getting you-"

"You'll see a side of me you've never seen if I manage to find these degenerates." Shinpi cut him off, staring hard into his eyes. "What was it you said? Make it worth your time? I'll rip them into pieces and drop them at your feet if you take me with you."

Botan and Koenma both paled at her words, but Hiei's interest was piqued. He considered it.

"You'll follow my orders." Hiei told her firmly.

"Every command to heel and attack." She assured him. "I'll be the perfect pet, if you take me."

The hint that if he refused she would be less than compliant seemed to whiz passed him, Kurama noted. Hiei was so fixated on getting Shinpi into battle, into getting her to obey him he missed her unspoken threat entirely. The fox didn't much care for that blindness. The fact Shinpi seemed to be relying on it bothered him more.

"Fine." Hiei turned back to Koenma. "I'll go and Shinpi will come with me."

"No."

Shinpi raised her eyes to Koenma, but her expression remained neutral. A mask carved into stone, revealing nothing of her inner workings.

"She's too volatile. I'm afraid of the damage she'd cause." Koenma explained when Hiei glared at him. "Besides, she's not sanctioned by Spirit World, Hiei. She's not an agent and we can't vouch for her."

"I can." The quiet voice that entered the conversation brought all eyes to Yukina. "I'll put my name on the line for Hichi's character. She'll work with Hiei and the others or I'll suffer the consequences."

Shinpi glanced at her, then back to Koenma but again remained silent.

"I don't think so." Hiei argued with Yukina. "If anyone is responsible for Shinpi's behavior, its me."

"Of the two of us, I'm the one she won't disappoint." Yukina told him calmly, no room for argument in her tone. "She will find a way to make this happen, with or without approval. It's better to trust her instincts and allow her to participate. I trust Hichi with my life."

The room remained quiet for a few seconds, no one moving intentionally but all eyes moving from Yukina to Shinpi, who accepted their gazes without flinching.

"I," Botan swallowed her discomfort and pushed more steadiness into her voice, "I think Yukina is right. I think we should allow Shinpi to join the boys. She'll never earn our trust if we never give her a chance to."

Shinpi almost reminded them all that she didn't give two shits about their trust, she just wanted to maim the demons responsible but bit back the response. It wouldn't help her. If Yukina vouched for her, she'd have to be careful of how she responded. The ice maiden was right in her assumption that Shinpi wouldn't do anything to bring her to harm. Her hands would be metaphorically bound and Hiei's commands would carry more weight. A small fee, to get her what she wanted.

The blood of her enemies.

She never made promises she didn't intend to keep. Hiei would surely see a new side of her if he allowed her to do what was necessary. She'd find the trail and she'd destroy the creatures responsible for this havoc.

No more mothers would cry because of them.

"Fine." Koenma relented, looking thoroughly uncomfortable with doing so. "She can go. But if she harms any person or causes any unnecessary chaos, Yukina won't be the only one paying the price."

Hiei glared over his shoulder and Shinpi could practically feel the proverbial leash he held getting yanked tighter as his fist curled at his side. She met his hot gaze, and the warning therein, without any change in her expression. Let him wrap a choke-chain around her throat to keep her in line, she didn't care.

"She'll be on her best behavior." Hiei announced and his tone clearly stated that if she wasn't, Koenma wasn't the one she needed to worry about. "Isn't that right, Shinpi?"

"Sir yes sir." She responded coolly. "You have my word."

Kurama frowned at the edge in her eyes, the emptiness in her voice. For the first time he felt like they were glimpsing a bit of the demon underneath her layers of humanity and masks. And the demon residing in those guarded depths was relentless in her pursuits. Blue eyes moved over to meet his gaze, a spark lighting the cobalt. She knew he'd seen it, the break in her cover. It showed in the way her lips rose in a secret grin.

* * *

Hiei and Kurama walked side by side as if this were something they did every day. It surprised Shinpi, how naturally the fire demon slid into the bustle of the city. Her reports of him, the rumors, they had all indicated that Hiei lacked the ability to conform. Watching next to Kurama told a new story.

Hiei merely disliked the act of hiding himself in Human World, but he wasn't incapable of it. His actions now dictated that he was more than willing to do what needed to be done if it meant meeting his goals.

She watched him from behind, mildly interested in this revelation. It had never occurred to her before that he'd go to such lengths to _fit in_. Not when he'd worn that demonic cloak and outfit at every encounter she'd had with him. So, had that been a display of his unwillingness to care about whatever had drawn him back into this world, or had it been a remark on him being thrust unprepared into the equation? She had never thought to ask.

Hiei's bandaged arms were hidden under the long sleeves of a leather jacket. His t-shirt, plain black, matched his worn black jeans and abused combat boots. Despite the dark palette, his human attire didn't stand out garishly against the backdrop of the bustling city. Even the white scarf tied around his head seemed natural, a display of some gang relation and not the sort of unusual bandaging that might drag attention to the unusual third eye marring his forehead.

"Keep up." Hiei glanced over his shoulder at her, his tone a warning as his eyes narrowed slightly. "You're falling behind."

"A half step is hardly treason, Hiei." Shinpi drawled the words, annoyed with this sudden guardian spirit seizing him. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

"I'm not concerned with your ability to fight. Don't run off." Hiei returned his gaze forward. "I don't want to waste time chasing you."

"It was my idea to come, I have no reason to run." She reminded him quietly, her shoulder nearly pressing to the back of his as she appeared just behind him and Kurama.

Crimson irises slid over to her, then back forward.

"Yusuke is just ahead." Kurama informed them both, a deep inhale explaining his statement. "Are you able to track our scents, Shinpi?"

Hiei frowned at the warmth in his tone.

Shinpi offered a singular nod in answer. "I've had them memorized for longer than you've known my name."

An honest remark that made the fox chuckle. "I suppose I should've expected as much."

"And yet, you continue to underestimate me." She agreed coarsely. Then to Hiei, "I'll do the tracking once we find the cold trail."

"You'll do what you're asked." Hiei shot back at her. "Nothing more or less."

She pressed her lips together and glared at him.

"It's not a commentary on your abilities, Shinpi. We've been a team for years, you'll only get in the way if you aren't directed properly." Hiei explained lightly. "Being in the way compromises our goals."

"Understood." It made sense, but she still didn't like it.

"Perhaps when we rendezvous with Yusuke, we can split into teams. I'll go with Shinpi and you and Yusuke can follow your path." Kurama offered with a smile. "We'll cover more ground that way."

"No." Shinpi dismissed the idea with a frown. "It makes no sense for me to go with you. The two best trackers shouldn't be together. One of us has to be with Urameshi and the other with Hiei to have the best chance of success."

Kurama raised his eyebrows at her, surprised by her insistence. "You want to go with Hiei?"

"No." She admitted with a grimace. "But I suspect that's the way the dice will roll. Ah, there's the detective."

"Sup." Yusuke lifted his chin in a nod toward them, a glower on his face as he leaned against the side of an alleyway. His eyes scanned over Shinpi, then met Kurama's. "Koenma seemed pissed about that."

"It wasn't a pleasant interaction." Kurama agreed. "But I believe it's for the best."

"It'll help to have her nose." Hiei added, glancing around. "Where did you lose them?"

But Shinpi had already started to walk into the alley, eyes heavy lidded as she inhaled the mingle of scents. Unusual. Closing her eyes entirely she crouched down and ran her fingers over the ground, raising them to her nose. Frowning, she fell onto her palms and knees, leaning her face close to the ground.

"You really look like a dog when you do that." Hiei remarked, amused, at her side. "Maybe I should get you a collar with tags informing people who to return you to."

She scowled at him, opening her eyes. "They were here."

"How do you know?" Yusuke demanded. "Have you met them before?"

Shinpi stood up and looked over her shoulder at him, clearly annoyed by his accusation. "Because it smells like sewage. They're using the tunnels under the city."

He glanced at Kurama and Hiei, who each took a turn looking at the woman then back to the detective. "You seem sure about that."

"Am I being suspected of something?" She demanded, turning to face him with a frown. "Because I deserve to know if I am. I came to find the one's responsible for these acts. You need me for that, but I don't need you."

At her words, Yusuke laughed. A true sound, no bitterness, and he grinned at her with a shake of his head. Hiei frowned at him, then rolled his eyes and Shinpi got the impression this was a common quirk of the detective's.

"Her convictions are steadfast." Hiei remarked dryly. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, I'm done. Just checking." Yusuke shrugged off the wall and sauntered over to Shinpi. "Alright newbie. Once we're in there, will you be able to find them?"

"It'll depend." She admitted. "It won't happen all at once, if that's what you're asking. But given time, yes, I'll be able to find them."

"Sounds good to me." Yusuke slapped a hand onto her shoulder and ducked his head close to hers. "Lead the way _your majesty_."

No one missed the sudden tension ringing through the woman at his jibe. Shinpi stiffened, eyes darting over Yusuke's form and face, before she let all expression drain away from her. Back to her stony mask, she tilted her head and started walking, taking point of the group. But the tension remained in her shoulders, easily seen through her light grey t-shirt.

"How's she been?" Yusuke lowered his voice and trailed behind with Hiei, eyes glued to the woman's back. "Is she always this easily rattled?"

"Rattled isn't the right word." Hiei shrugged, his voice quiet as well. "Something about this case is personal to her. I thought she was going to attack Koenma over it. Her training has been going decently. She's following the regimen I designed for her, at least."

"She doesn't have kids does she?" Yusuke joked but the comment gave Hiei pause, his forehead wrinkling as the fire demon thought about it. "It's a joke Hiei. We know she doesn't have kids."

"I know." Hiei shot back, tersely. "She did seem particularly bothered by the death of the child involved though. It's possible she has some affiliation with children. Maybe another piece of her wolf demon heritage? I read that all members of a pack are responsible for the safety of the pups."

"That's neat. So if any of us have kids we know they'll be safe with Auntie Shinpi." Yusuke laughed from his belly. "Imagine _her_ finding out your kid is getting bullied. Oh man. That'd be a trip."

"Don't do that." Hiei glared daggers at Yusuke.

"Do what, make jokes?"

"Don't get attached to her." Hiei stated coldly. "She's not on our side, Detective. She has no desire to be on our side. You're setting yourself up for disappointment."

"Hey, as long as she's with us, she's one of us." Yusuke shot back, his tone growing hot. "Maybe if _you_ weren't such a brooding dick all the time, she'd be on our side by now."

"If you wanted someone charming, you should have decided to put Kurama in charge of her." Hiei huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We didn't decide shit. You took this on, all on your own. That makes it your job to win her over. So stop being an ass and start treating her like she's a member of the team. Captain's orders, short stop." Yusuke shot a half-hearted glare to the fire demon. "She's got no one, Hiei. No one. You remember what's that like, don't you? Have some empathy."

"She did it to herself." Hiei ground out. "I'm not about to coddle her because you want a new plaything."

"Oh yeah, I'm the one who wants to her use as a prop for my training." Yusuke deadpanned and Hiei bristled.

The sound of metal scraping against concrete drug their attention away from their conversation, barbs poised to fly from both tongues. Turning, they saw Shinpi standing beside the open manhole, eyebrows raised as she regarded them.

"This prop is doing your job for you." She told them both, no inflection in her tone to indicate how she might have interpreted their conversation. "If it weren't Yukina's name on the line, I would leave you both here and handle this alone. As it stands, I unfortunately _have_ to heed your commands, so please stop your argument."

"You _have_ heed commands anyway." Hiei shot back at her with a glare. "It's in your nature."

Her cool stare back didn't hide the sudden fire in her eyes. Instead of responding she gestured to the entrance to the sewer with her left hand.

"Without a map we'll need to be cautious. We don't want to get separated." Kurama cut into the conversation, sidling up to Shinpi. Despite his soft words, he looked entirely disapproving of the conversation he'd interrupted.

"If we do, I'll just whistle." Hiei huffed, glaring at Shinpi before being the first to jump down into the hole. "That's what your kind respond to, isn't it?"

"Hiei!" Kurama's mouth fell open, but the fire demon was gone. Turning to Shinpi he frowned. "I'm sorry he's-"

"It's fine." Shinpi cut him off, staring at the hole. Yusuke went next, looking between them with a frown of his own. After he went in she raised her eyes to Kurama and the mask broke slightly. "He doesn't know, Kurama. I haven't corrected him."

"Why are you letting him insult you?" Kurama asked quietly, a cool thread of anger in his voice. "As a wolf, I imagine this is particularly frustrating for you."

"It's frustrating because he doesn't understand, but I'm not actually insulted by him calling me a dog. I've never seen the point in elitism of species that way." She sighed and eyed the hole. "Hiei doesn't know that what he's doing could be considered vulgar. I almost don't want to give him the power of that knowledge. Any other demon and I would take offense, but for Hiei, right now, this is him _trying_."

Then she jumped into the hole and Kurama followed quickly, allowing the four of them to reconvene. Yusuke was loudly complaining about the stench, fingers pinching his nose as he gagged. Eventually he pulled his shirt up over the bottom half of his face, glaring into the darkness around them.

"This is gross." He whined. "Can you really smell anything?"

In poor timing Shinpi started coughing, the harshness of all the grotesque scents too much for her to take in at once. Trying to force herself to breath tears pricked at her eyes and she wiped at them furiously, then at the base of her nose as she tried to focus on the task at hand. Taking a deep breath she tried to just plunge herself into the overwhelming mixture of smells and it was an immediate mistake. She wretched the side of them, doubling over in the burning pain of being sensorially assaulted.

"Yo." Yusuke's eyes widened and he glanced worriedly at Kurama. "Is she okay?"

"Unlikely that she is." Kurama frowned and he walked over to Shinpi, rubbing her back in light circles.

"Shinpi's nose is almost as sharp as Kurama's. Maybe they're the same." Hiei pointed out to Yusuke wit his own frown. "Our senses of smell aren't even close. This is disgusting to me, but it must be nearly torturous to them."

"Go back up, both of you. Hiei and I will handle this." Yusuke ordered and nodded at the fire demon.

"No. I can help." Shinpi wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, her breathing ragged as she straightened. Looking far more harried than any of them had scene from her, she wiped her palms on her jeans. "It just takes a second to adjust to everything."

"Yusuke's right. You should go back, there's nothing down here worth damaging your senses over." Hiei started firmly.

"No." Shinpi repeated, planting her feet firmly. "I'm coming with you."

They stared at each other for a long second, the moment stretching thin until Hiei narrowed his eyes and then nodded.

"Don't slow us down." He warned her.

"Tch. I should be worried about _you_ slowing _me_ down." She stomped around him and Yusuke to take point again. "This way."

Yusuke chuckled at their defiant new ally, and Hiei himself smirked at her back. "Don't get too far ahead, Shinpi."

"What, have you forgotten my leash?" Shinpi shot back at the fire demon and the joke make his smirk widen.

"I prefer using voice commands, you know that. But I suppose I could fashion a lead if you're feeling uncooperative." Hiei drawled back and she rolled her eyes to the front again.

There was the distinct mutter of her calling him an ass. In the dark tunnels their footsteps and voices echoed off the rounded walls. While they walked Kurama assessed Shinpi and Hiei, hands in his pockets as he played over their interactions. She was correct, it didn't seem that Hiei was _trying_ to be rude or insulting the bulk of the time. He simply didn't understand the inherent differences of dogs and wolves. But she played into his ill-formed ideas, bantering with him with misleading jibes. And for Hiei to try to send her back, knowing they could use her help, it was a sign that he _was_ actually trying to do what was best. In his own misguided way, Hiei was trying to take care of Shinpi.

He just didn't really know what the hell he was doing, the fox decided.

Shinpi lifted her face, eyes closing as she inhaled in short sniffs. In the back of her mind she was humorously aware that Hiei was right, she did look like a dog when she behaved this way. It was hard to avoid, really, at least she didn't have the ears and tail to go with the look at the moment. Extending her right hand out in front of her, she dipped her chin down and allowed the barest inkling of her energy swim outward. The air in the tunnels was still, dank and malicious, but it answered her call just as it should. Taking a moment to pull drafts from each of their available paths, they'd come to a four-way split in the tunnels, she assessed the scents on each wisp of air brought back to her until she found an anomaly worth pursuing.

Turning left, she followed the bend in the path and continued to drag the scents toward her to help keep them pointed toward their goals.

Then she stopped, the sudden inaction forcing Yusuke and Hiei to bump into her from behind.

"They're here." She whispered, body tensed to the point of shaking.

"Who?" Hiei demanded, reaching for his sword.

But a laugh answered him before Shinpi could. Sloshing of water around large legs and feet and the muffled, fearful whines of a piteous creature unable to escape it's gruesome fate. Even in the darkness the team could see well enough, their demonic senses picking through the shadows with ease as the demon rounded the next bend. A small being hung from its meaty hand, the face captured by the demon's palm as the body of the child was drug carelessly through the water.

Shinpi's aura spiked without warning, the sudden and heavy scent of rain filling the sewer and coating the men around her in the breeze of her energy. Her breathing went shallow, nostrils flaring as her eyes glared into the face of this interloper. And then her gaze glanced at the child in his grip, the one who was crying and sniffling and yet trying so hard to be quiet.

Trying desperately to appease the monster so he could survive.

"You came to the wrong tunnels." The demon laughed again, the sound echoing in grating waves off the stone sides of the sewer. "Have you come looking for a snack?"

"We came for you." Shinpi remained still. "How many are there?"

"Why don't you come with me and find out?" The demon grinned at her, a nefarious expression marring its features as pointed teeth bared themselves. Then he inhaled and his eyes widened. "You smell lovely. So clean."

"Is that the same child?" Shinpi asked her question with ease, unbothered by the hungry leer raking over her form.

"Yes, he's old. He'll lose his freshness. I was going to find another when I heard footsteps." The demon lifted the child by the face and squeezed its thick fingers so that the boy cried out. "Are you hungry?"

"Let him go." Her demand stilled the demon, even as easily as it fell from her lips. "We both know that child won't satisfy your hunger. Besides, I'm sure I will be far more appetizing. You said it yourself, I smell lovely."

"Shinpi." Hiei hissed at her.

"Shut up." She muttered back.

"I'll go with you." Shinpi opened her hands in an easy gesture and it was that movement that brought attention to the fact her aura had disappeared again. The scent of rain lingered, cleansing the air, but the thrill of power was gone. "Seems a fair trade, doesn't it?"

"I am pretty hungry." The demon agreed. "And you do seem like you'd taste delicious."

"So we have a deal-"

Shinpi's eyes widened, along with the others as the demon raised the boy up and bit off his left arm in one quick motion.

"But I think I'm hungry enough for both." He grinned at her with blood coating his teeth and spraying over his face as the boy screamed.

There was no stopping her. It all happened so fast that Kurama and Yusuke were left in stillness as Shinpi lurched forward with such speed that even Hiei didn't see her move at first. Her strike revealed the knives she'd strapped to her ankle, hidden under pants. The kunai bit into the demon's right eye, then Hiei's sword severed through the arm below the elbow, the demon's screams echoed by the splash of grey water as the appendage fell. Shinpi snatched the child from the useless fingers.

Her energy swam to the surface in a rush of green light, her hands cradling the child to her chest and one pressing against the ruined stub of his arm. The light flowed with warmth into him, stilling the bleeding as the jagged wound began to scab. The child's cries died away as his eyes rolled into his head, the pain and shock of it all too much for him to endure as he passed out.

Kurama ran to her, backpack already slung open as he began to search for the limited medical supplies he always kept handy. The roll of gauze did little more than offer a layer of protection to the open skin and meat of the child's arm.

"You have to take him to a hospital. I'm not skilled enough to repair this in its entirety. He'll need blood." Shinpi spoke earnestly, helping Kurama wrap the wound. "The risk of infection is too great as well."

"What are you going to do?" Kurama demanded as she shoved the boy into his arms, the green light fading to nothing when their contact broke. She closed his backpack for him and slid the strap over his shoulder.

"What I volunteered for. I'm going to find the rest of them and destroy them." Shinpi informed him with such heated malice that the fox had to blink. "Go."

He nodded and fled back the way they'd come. Hiei glanced back at Kurama, deflecting a strike from the demon who yowled before them.

"Go with him!" Shinpi urged. "He'll need your help getting back!"

Then Yusuke raised his finger, tip glowing blue, and the demon scrambled away. It tripped in the water then fled down the tunnels. Yusuke and Shinpi looked at each other and nodded, tearing after it. Neither was concerned with the grey water destroying their shoes or pants.

Hiei hesitated to follow them, not wanting to leave either of them to face this threat, but Shinpi's words echoed in his head like they had off the tunnels. Growling, he spun and hastened after Kurama. She was right, the fox would need him to guide them back through the tunnels after they managed the child. Yusuke and Shinpi were strong enough to face a small group of apparitions, he had to remember that.

Yet it didn't ease the sense of distrust he had for the idea or the mild anxiety gnawing at his guts.

Shinpi had proved herself capable of fighting. Yusuke was an S-class. They'd be fine. Hiei repeated the words silently. But every time he did the same question threatened his train of thought, even as he caught up to Kurama and they hurried to the nearest hospital.

If they were going to be fine, then why did it feel like he'd just abandoned them?


	12. Hello Darkness

Yusuke watched Shinpi loosely, observing her tactics as she tipped her head from side to side eying the tunnels sprawled before them. So many junctures. They'd lost their foe and she was determined to find him again. Find all of them, she'd muttered. But for now they were alone, tracing the veins in the underbelly of the city with their sopping shoes and ruined clothes.

He could see the appeal to her, he guessed. Though he didn't quite understand Hiei's thought process. Sure, Shinpi seemed strong enough. She'd moved nearly as fast Hiei back at the beginning and watching someone whip out healing powers was surreal. He'd never seen a _demon_ heal other than Yukina. But beyond that she hadn't displayed enough power to be called interesting. Hiei insisted there was something under the surface, Kurama had relayed as much to the rest of the team.

What was the short stop seeing that he wasn't?

Shinpi glanced at him over her stiff shoulders, one eye raking down him with evident distaste for what she found. In the darkness her eyes seemed nearly black. Yusuke stared back, gauging her as well.

"Am I not performing to your satisfaction?" The words lacked emotion, an empty question from an empty source.

"Why do you talk like that?" Yusuke asked her, frowning. "You're so formal and stuff. But every now and then you act like a normal person."

She didn't answer him, instead choosing to study the paths before them. In a quick movement she was walking again, having chosen their course in some strange divination Yusuke couldn't quite pinpoint. That was annoying too. How was she guiding them through the tunnels? He snorted.

"Jeez, no wonder Hiei likes you. You two act the same." Yusuke huffed. Then he raised his voice in a poor imitation of both demons, apparently. "I'm a demon and I don't care about people. I'm better than everyone around me. I have secrets, oooooooh."

That got him no response so he went on.

"You know, I was a king too. We're on the same level, so you don't get to act high and mighty with me."

"Didn't you quit?" Shinpi asked him, eyebrow raised as she came to a stop.

Yusuke glared off to the side.

"It wasn't an accusation, but you did, didn't you? I sort of envy you for that. I always wished I could quit." Shinpi sighed heavily and then looked around them. "Why are you trying to talk to me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Hiei says I'm a dog. He treats me," She frowned and tried to pick the right word, "like I'm a pet project. I can't imagine what interest you might have in me."

"Kurama talks to you."

"Kurama understands more than the rest of you."

That put an end to that particular line of arguing. Yusuke unsettled his gelled hair with a comb made of his fingers. Then he rested his attention back on the woman with me.

"Hiei was right you know, you shouldn't get attached to me. I'm not one of the demons who wants to bolster your ranks, Urameshi. I have my own goals and your team is just a means to an end. I'm not here to make friends." She gestured to him loosely. "It's admirable that you're attempting to reach out, but it's a useless venture. Besides. I'm not the type of person you want to associate with."

"Why's that?" He wondered, but the way he lulled the words made it seem like he had the answer.

She didn't answer him, instead choosing to remain still for a few moments, debating how to proceed with the conversation. Yusuke breezed past her, hands in his pockets. He'd lead the way until they came up to their next set of choices then he'd let her talk to the spirits or whatever it was that she was doing. Shinpi followed him a few steps behind, her footsteps barely making a sound while his crunched and sloshed in sloppy echoes.

"Look. The thing is that we know." Yusuke sighed, twisting around to watch her reaction to his words. "Koenma, Kurama, and me. We all know you killed your human father. And we know that Hiei knows too, and that he chose not to tell us for some reason. I guess I'm just hoping that reason is because you're worth protecting."

"I can assure you, nothing Hiei does for me is for my protection." Shinpi frowned, glaring ahead of them. "His actions are selfishly driven, always. I meant it when I told you that you wouldn't be able to stop him. I've been on the receiving end of the attentions of those like him before."

"You can't really be comparing him to Hiro." Yusuke stopped her, pulling on her arm to bring her to face him.

"Hiro?" Shinpi blinked up at him, surprised. "Of course not. Hiro and Hiei are nothing alike. Even my rage isn't so blinding, Urameshi. Give me some credit. I meant he's just like Mukuro."

"Mukuro?"

"Ruthless." Shinpi nodded and exhaled, deflating with the action. "Persistent. Dominant. Powerful. Loyal, until he won't be. They are quite similar. As my grandfather would have said, they are souls stitched from the same cloth. I've known Mukuro for over a half century and no amount of gossip will convince me that she's softened her edges."

Yusuke searched her face, then dropped his hand from her upper arm. Tilting his head, he continued to look her over.

"At any rate, even if he were the type to coddle, Hiei wouldn't find anything worth protecting in me." Shinpi shook her head and continued to pick their path through the aged sewer tunnels. "A murderer, a liar by default, a coward. I'm surprised he could stomach the idea of me long enough to let me live at all."

"Psh. Stomach. Are you kidding me? I've never seen Hiei lie to keep someone alive before. He told us that the common thread he saw in you was your need to protect others." Yusuke shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned at her, an expression so carelessly bright that she felt the need to avert her eyes. "He called you a coward with honor. That's a compliment coming from him." 

"I'll still my quickened pulse." Shinpi rolled her eyes. "As similar as they are, Hiei lacks Mukuro's delicate tongue."

"You got pretty familiar with Mukuro's tongue, hmm?" Yusuke leered at her, wiggling his eyebrows.

Shinpi smirked at him, refusing to say anything. It left him in her wake, mouth gaping open as he tried to decipher her silence.

"Wait, I was joking. Did you and Mukuro really… I mean… Is Mukuro?" He swallowed. "Are _you_?"

"I'm many things, Detective. You'll have to be clear with your questions." Shinpi teased him lightly, her tone so flippant he couldn't make heads or tails of the answer.

"Kurama said you were a good fighter. I'm sort of jealous Hiei has you all to himself. Fighting ancient demons is sort of my jam." Yusuke glanced at her. "Maybe sometime you and I can spar."

She stopped and stared at him, scouring his face. "All of you seem insistent that Hiei is the one in control here. It's my body and my training, no matter what he thinks of himself. If you want to spar with me, then spar with me."

"I like hearing that." Yusuke grinned at her, every bit the feral child he'd always been.

"Besides, if he sees me fighting you, it'll drive him crazy. I like to find new ways to annoy him." Shinpi winked at Yusuke with a grin of her own. "He's sort of cute when he gets frustrated, don't you think?" 

"Homicidal comes to mind way before cute." Yusuke laughed. "You're pretty cool." 

Her smile lightened, softening on the edges and finally reached her eyes. It was a subtle change that made him realize that their previous exchanges had been more acts than natural reactions. This, though, this seemed like she was offering a real piece of herself. But then her eyes darted to the side, narrowing and she slid into a fighting stance as easily as breathing.

The growl that tore from her throat preceded three demons launching at them from the darkness beyond their path. Shinpi shook her head slightly and launched forward, jump kicking the first and spinning through the air to grasp a second by the shirt. Yusuke lingered back, hands still in his pockets as he watched her fight on her own. His eyes widened as her movements seemed to slow, her left fist pulling back as her right palm rose with fingers splayed. She caught the fist of an attacker and then used it to spin it into one of its comrades, the action launching her back through the air into a kick that took the third to the ground.

The air in the tunnel shifted, sliding around her ankles as Shinpi slid back on the balls of her feet. Running forward again, she kneed the largest of their attackers in the jaw. Her legs wrapped around its neck after the movement, her hands slamming against its temples so hard it's eyes bulged. One, two, three strikes to the face and it went down with a resounding thud against the stone path they followed. A succession of quick strikes to the next one's back rendered it unable to even cry for help, and the last fell hard with a kick to the back of its head.

Yusuke let out a whistle, long and loud, eyebrows raised. "Damn, you're a maniac Shinpi."

Okay, so maybe Hiei's attentions were well-placed. And maybe Kurama was right to ask Yusuke to reach out to Shinpi since Hiei seemed to avoid it at all costs. She could be a real asset to their team, fighting like that.

"I sort of get why Hiei doesn't want to share. I bet you give him a run for his money." Yusuke clicked his tongue and grinned at her, offering a harmless finger gun. "But you and me have a date, right? You, me and some good ole fashioned getting-to-know-you fist fighting."

"Sure." She nodded, a careful smile in place. "I've been hoping to fight you for a while, actually. I want to see if I measured your fighting style correctly. But when you come to the temple, bring Kuwabara. If you don't, I won't pay any attention to you."

"You got a thing for that idiot or?" Yusuke raised his eyebrows.

"He reminds me of someone I used to know." Shinpi shrugged. "I think he has raw potential, I'd like to polish it."

"You sound like you'd like to polish something of his alright."

"Lewd." Shinpi flattened her expression. "I'm not attracted to Kuwabara."

"Got the hots for Kurama? Can't blame ya. He gets _all_ the attention." Yusuke nodded, teasing her with a grin as he leered over her.

"Kurama would be a more attractive prospect than say, you for instance." Shinpi agreed with her own smartelic smile. "But no, I'm not romantically interested in Kurama."

The rounded a corner and Yusuke's next suggestion was lost in the pained grunt he offered when metal bat collided with the side of his head. Shinpi jumped back, feet sliding in the water as she tensed herself to spring forward but the bat remained poised over Yusuke's groaning figure by the demon beside him. Two more approached her from the front, her fists curled and she remained poised to fight, but made no move to.

"What's the matter doggy, can't attack without a command?" One of the demons laughed, the grating sound rubbing off the stones of the tunnel.

"Lower the bat." Shinpi demanded, eyes narrowed.

"If you insist." The demon bared his teeth and Yusuke grunted again as the bat dropped around the side of his face.

…

Hiei paced the hall of the hospital with his hands behind his back, earning alarmed glances from the nurses and staff as they milled about. Waiting for Kurama to finish his conversation with the human police was a waste of his time. He could have just stayed behind with the others.

Another pang of anxiety wracked through his innards and he bit back against it, eyes narrowing.

Yusuke was a powerful demon. The strongest of them all, really, there was honestly no reason to worry about him. But the sense of something going wrong continued to eat at Hiei's nape and stomach, a disgusting parasite burrowing into his being. He hated this feeling. He needed to trust Yusuke. He needed to remember that through the years, Yusuke had fought valiantly for others a lot less worthwhile than Shinpi.

The aggravating feeling persisted, growing worse when he thought of the woman. Why? Shinpi was decently capable of defending herself. She'd held her own against him twice, hadn't she? Of course that was without him using his energy. And it was a solo fight.

Not against demons who wanted to kill her. Not against multiple attackers. Not in the dark, sequestered and unable to seek help if she needed it.

He shook his head and glared at the door as it opened, his hands falling to his sides as Kurama came out, looking exhausted.

"I think that worked." Kurama kept his voice low. "But I have more to do here and I'd like to contact Koenma."

"How long is _that_ going to take?" Hiei growled at him. "While we're up here wasting time-"

"I agree." Kurama lifted a hand to cut off Hiei's rant. "You should go back. You'll be more useful there anyway."

An honest statement if there ever was one. Hiei was useless at this bureaucratic nonsense that humans seemed to love to indulge in. He had no patience for paperwork or length, detailed accounts of events. This was a task tailor made for the fox.

Without a goodbye he darted from the building, glad to be moving again. The pale walls of the hospital had felt suffocating as he'd grown more and more restless. Racing through the streets, a sentient shadow, it relieved some of that tension. But it didn't appease the frustrating anxiety. No, he imagined he'd have to see the woman and the detective alive and well before that went away.

…

Yusuke groaned, reaching forward before falling mostly into the grey water, arm extended toward Shinpi as the demons cackled above her, one of them clawing a hand around her throat, another fisting her hair, the last leering into her face. He tried to call her name, to offer some assurance that he was still there but the words couldn't get passed his swollen lips. Another groan and he managed to lift his head, his left elbow finding ground under his shoulder to support his weight.

"Hiei's dog, do you think she can do any tricks?"

"I bet she'll do whatever we tell her too."

"Sit up like a good pet."

"Maybe she'll beg."

"Oh she'll definitely beg."

They yanked on Shinpi's hair, kicking her legs until her knees buckled under her. Gritting her teeth she kept quiet, glaring up into their hideous faces.

"Ah, looks like Hiei might not have done so well training her." One of them remarked.

"Keep up that snarling and your master will have to find a new pet." The leader growled, then he forced her lips into a smile, his dirty fingers pulling at her cheeks and mouth. "That's better Fido."

A flash of teeth followed by a scream of shock and pain. A spray of blood, the color muted to shiny black in the low light of the sewer as it streaked over Shinpi's chin and cheek. She spit the finger she'd bitten off of the demon to the side, eyes narrowed. He screamed profanities, grabbing his injured hand to stimy the flow of blood from his severed thumb.

"You should know its rude to tell a woman to smile." Shinpi remarked coldly. "And I am _not_ the Jaganshi's pet."

Her words brought the leader's attention back to her. Without hesitation he struck he across the face, the back of his wounded hand catching her against the cheekbone.

Her head barely turned from the impact.

Yusuke inhaled sharply when it did, her narrowed gaze completely visible to him for the first time. Here in the dim underground, her usually cobalt eyes shone like black embers. And the fire filling them wasn't the sort people used to keep themselves warm at night. Not even close.

He'd seen that murderous glint before. Once in Kurama's gaze, when he faced the Elder Toguro before they squared off with Sensui. Many more times it had flitted through Hiei's eyes. But on Shinpi it startled him.

It had been so easy to forget what she was when she smiled and snarked with Hiei.

But the woman was a demon, through and through.

He shouldn't have let himself forget, not even for a moment. He was just happy that the darkness in her expression wasn't meant to strike his core with fear. When she turned to her captors it was without flourish or grandeur. Her words fell out as cool statements of fact. Her movements precise and unforgiving.

A force of nature taking its course.

She put one foot under her, allowing her to come to a kneel while the other two demons kept their grips tight on her throat and hair, each of them claiming one of her slender wrists in their meaty palms. Their thick fingers did little to contain her as she continued to stand, jerking herself free with head tall and grace lining each movement. Even stained as she was with muck and grime, she radiated a feral sense of pride. Her left arm came loose first, allowing her to slam the palm into the demon on her right's sternum. The grip on her throat abated immediately, angry claw marks marring the skin there as the demon flew to the side.

The wall of the tunnel cracked and bowed under the impact of his weight before he slunk into the water.

Her right arm now free, she reached back and wrapped it around the wrist of the hand in her hair, pulling it close before her other elbow bit into the demon's nose, then his diaphragm. His hand spasmed and he released her, crumbling behind her like a paper house.

"I allow the Jaganshi to think he has control of me because it entertains me. I can assure you, he holds no actual love for me." Shinpi rolled her shoulders, then flexed her hands getting the circulation to move correctly after her awkwardly held position from before. "More importantly I am not, nor have I ever been, a damsel in distress. An unfortunate oversight on your part."

"Shut the hell up!" He flashed toward her, and the water sloshed with his movements. "You're just a human pet! I'm not scared of you!"

She dodged under is assault easily, bobbing and weaving before her hand came up and clawed around his larynx. She drug him close to her and inhaled by his cheek, her lips pulling back to reveal a vicious smile as she threw him away from her.

"I was willing to play along with you until you struck Urameshi." Shinpi explained, sardonic amusement painted over her face. "You forced my hand, I'm afraid."

"What are you?" The demon scrambled back, trying to put space between himself and Shinpi as she remained still, regarding him with skepticism.

Her eyes moved up to the ceiling of the tunnel they'd trapped themselves in. Tilting her head, she mused how to answer him. No telling who might be eavesdropping around the bends and twists of this labyrinth of filth.

"An apex predator." She finally responded and bared her teeth again, the left side of her grin lifting farther than the right. "A natural disaster. Oh, darling, I've gone by so many names over the years. Perhaps you'll scream a new one while you tell me what's happened to the rest of the humans."

He locked his jaw.

She didn't seem to notice or care as she stalked toward him, her gaze a shot in the dark that froze his movements as she looked down her nose at him. In the shadows this way, he thought he saw fangs in the row of her teeth. Her nails looked longer, sharper and the expression she offered left nothing human to her features.

The demon screamed before she ever got the first hit in, rousing his comrades from their stupors. They rushed Shinpi from behind and she laughed, kicking the leader in the face before spin kicking the second in the neck. The third she punched under the chin. They regained their feet quickly and with his numbers in his favor, the leader got to his feet too.

Shinpi smirked, one hand raising. The water around all their legs and Yusuke's body began to crest into small waves as if disturbed into movement. The air grew thicker, nearly a physical weight to it. With a twist of her body, she cut a kick toward the largest of them and his arm severed as an arch of wind slashed through the appendage as it thought held no more substance than gauze. Throwing her hand down into the water, it bowed then swelled, following her arm up in tendrils that surrounded her.

Whipping the lashes of water at the demon with the missing arm he shouted as he was drug into the increasing depths. Bubbles formed where he'd been submerged, the signs of a struggle that ended quickly.

Yusuke forced himself to sitting, the water creeping up to his chest. The increased volume slowed the other two demons but not Shinpi herself. She spun and ducked as if nothing had changed, the tendrils now gone as she blocked the physical strikes aimed at her face with her arms. He couldn't get the warning on his tongue to fall out, instead choking on it as the leader slammed a kick into Shinpi's hip.

She went down like a ton of bricks, her hip displaced by the hit. Grunting she attempted to get her foot back under her and failed. Giving up on the futility of walking, Shinpi growled and continued to block from her compromised position. The air shifted and her eyes widened.

Another arm claimed by the battle, flying through the air and landing with a splash as Hiei entered the fray. His eyes glimmered in the dark, the color of the sun as seen through garnet and Shinpi sucked in a sharp breath at his entrance. One look at her, to which she offered a scant nod, and Hiei went after the demon he'd maimed. A hand wrapped around Shinpi's throat, hauling her to her one good leg.

"I'll kill her." The leader pressed his nails into the already wounded and raw flesh of Shinpi's throat, his eyes on Hiei. "I'll kill your precious little dog."

Hiei let the body of demon he'd been facing fall into the murky water, turning to glare at the woman and her captor.

"You'd be doing me a favor. That woman is nothing but trouble." Hiei complained hotly. "In fact, if you don't manage to kill her, I might just do it myself." 

"Fuck you." Shinpi snarled at him.

Yusuke was suddenly understanding Kurama's hesitation in bringing the woman with them. He'd been right. Hiei and her couldn't be in the same room. He groaned.

"This is all your fault." Hiei pointed out to her, anger lighting his aura. "The Detective is injured because you ran off like an imbecile. I had to come rescue you."

"I don't need rescuing halfwit." She shot back at him. "This situation is under control." 

"His control, not yours." Hiei pointed out with a growl.

"Always mine." Shinpi bared her teeth.

Yusuke saw Hiei's lips quirk into the barest smirk then. "Prove it, woman."

Shinpi grabbed the leader's hand and pried it from her throat before wrenching her arm back. The pressure in the tunnel shifted, channeling through her palm as she slammed it against the demon's ear. There was no time for him to cry out. They couldn't have heard it anyway. The force of the air she shoved into his cranium through his ear canal rocketed through his skull, shattering it, and sending a shockwave out the other side of his body that rippled over the water and slammed into the already damaged wall of the tunnel, further denting it to the point the bricks fell into the water and exposed the earth underneath the stone.

Yusuke and Hiei both winced, their ears ringing from the intense shift of pressure. Shinpi hobbled to the best height she could and glared at Hiei before limping her way slowly over to Yusuke. Falling into the water at some point in the four feet remaining between them, she crawled the rest of the way.

"The only point he made that was worth a damn was that your injury is my fault. I'm sorry Urameshi." Shinpi lifted her hands to his battered face and ruined shoulder. "I hope this atones, even in a small way, for what I've caused."

Yusuke went to ask her what she was doing and gave up when the words came out as nothing more than mangled chewing sounds. She nodded and closed her eyes, a green light radiating from her hands and pressing into his skin. His eyes widened, the swelling going down immediately under her soothing contact. It tingled in his muscles, whispered over his bruises like a gentle breeze. Shinpi's energy coursed through his body until he raised his hands to hers and pulled them away from his cheeks.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded, glad his words finally worked correctly.

"A token of apology." Shinpi offered him a gentle smile. "Can you walk?"

"Can you?" Hiei demanded of her, clearly annoyed. "What happened to your leg?"

"My gracious host kicked my hip out of place." She sighed, rolling her eyes to meet crimson. "How like you to show up _after_ I'd been properly maimed."

"Oh shut up. Just be happy I came at all." Hiei warned her.

"Surely, if it hadn't been for Urameshi, I wouldn't have seen your lovely face at all." She agreed darkly. "Tch. You're the worst, Jaganshi."

"What did I say about shutting up?" Hiei growled, trudging through the water toward her. Stooping down, he grabbed her arm and forced it around his shoulders, dragging her up with him. "Is that the technique Genkai stopped you from using on me?"

"Yes." Shinpi agreed, wincing as she tried to put her weight on her right leg. "Granted, I wasn't aiming to kill you."

"I'm glad." Hiei acknowledged, frowning at the mess she'd left in her wake. "The minute you can walk, I'm going to put you back in traction Shinpi. I've been trying to get you to display your energy for weeks and some disgusting low-bred peon pries it out of you. You'll pay for that offense."

"Naturally." She sighed heavily.

Yusuke walked over to her other side and took her left arm over his shoulders too, just as Hiei had done. Her eyes flashed to him, confusion clear in her furrowed brow. Hiei's gaze wasn't confused so much as aggravated by the addition of Yusuke's help.

"I've got it." Hiei told him with a glare.

"We're a team." Yusuke didn't argue with Hiei, ending the conversation with his easy statement.

They were quiet for a while, picking their way slowly through the tunnels. Yusuke broke the silence as Shinpi and Hiei argued about which way to turn.

"You're not a dog, by the way."

Shinpi went rigid in their grasp, the words plucking at something he hadn't meant to touch. Hiei shot Yusuke a quizzical look.

"What?" Hiei demanded.

"They were saying things to her. Calling her a dog. Saying shit like she was your pet." Yusuke explained, frowning. Then he turned back to Shinpi's suddenly guarded gaze. "I'm sorry they said that shit to you."

"Don't be. Hiei says it all the time." She responded quietly. "They only used those insults because they heard him using them earlier."

Hiei glanced at her face. "You are a dog."

"I'm a wolf." She didn't correct him with malice. In fact, her voice held no emotion at all. "Dog is actually a grave insult to my kind. It implies we're domesticated and weak, nothing but servants or pets."

Hiei's grip on her wrist loosened then grew firmer than before. When he spoke next, it was through his teeth. "You should have told me."

It was the closest to an apology Yusuke had ever heard Hiei mutter without being cajoled into the admission by Yukina or Kurama.

"For all your research I assumed you knew and were doing it on purpose to bait me at first, but I realized you simply didn't understand." Shinpi admitted. "After all, I've called you a dog several times. I was sure you understood the context. But you didn't. And honestly, the idea of giving you the power to insult me didn't seem like it would be in my favor, so it was easier to just deal with it."

Hiei scowled.

"What did I tell you about that brain of yours?" Hiei complained to her. "Stop figuring everything out. You only seem to get halfway through any point anyway. I wasn't doing it to bait you. I was doing it to-"

"To what?" Yusuke craned his head forward to peer at Hiei.

"Yes, Hiei, do tell. You left us hanging." Shinpi stared at him dully. "I'm intrigued."

"It doesn't matter. I see now it was all in vain." Hiei huffed, refusing to answer her. "How long do you think it will take you to heal?"

"That depends." Shinpi hedged.

"On?"

"Who resets my hip." She sunk into her shoulders. "It's going to hurt like a bitch. If Genkai does it, she won't bother healing my wounds. But Yukina doesn't know much about popping joints back into place."

"We'll have Botan take a look." Hiei told her. He looked over to Yusuke. "She can do it." 

"Yeah, of course!" Yusuke bobbed his head. "She'll be excited to help too."

Shinpi didn't seem so convinced but she didn't argue with them.

"I suppose I should say this while its fresh." She grumbled, looking consternated about her next words. "Even though I had the situation well in hand, as you saw, I should thank you for coming. Your interference allowed for a shorter fight, which I appreciate given my injury. I still could have finished it on my own, but I suppose your presence was helpful."

Yusuke chortled, trying to repress the sounds. "You sound like Hiei." 

"Hardly." Hiei smirked. "I would have never actually said thank you."

"True." Yusuke outright laughed. "She's at least got that over on you."

"Shinpi has plenty over me." Hiei admitted. "That final technique was impressive. I'll have to find a way to block it."

Neither of them missed the way Hiei's words made the woman smile, her bottom lip caught in her teeth to fight the expression that bloomed over her cheeks and mouth, lighting her eyes. She didn't respond to his statement, instead keeping her eyes trained ahead of them.

"You missed her water whips." Yusuke declared and just like that the rest of their trek to the mouth of the sewers was filled with Yusuke's rapturous details of the fight from what he could see of it. Hiei listened in rapt attention, scoffing now and then. Shinpi only corrected him one or twice but mostly just laughed along with Yusuke's vigorous recanting of events.

"I'd like you tell all my stories from now on." She declared as the stumbled onto the hill beside the gulch the sewer emptied into. "You make me sound far more interesting and amazing than I actually am." 

"Humility doesn't suit you." Hiei mumbled to her and she shot him a dirty look.

"You were a badass!" Yusuke told, nodding to himself. "I mean, I thought they had you for sure! I can't believe you were able to whip their asses so thoroughly."

"Given enough time to recuperate, perhaps I could offer you a firsthand experience on said ass whipping techniques." Shinpi made the offer seem unwilling but Yusuke readily agreed, bellowing he'd teach her a thing or two.

She laughed again, shoulders shaking with the movement. Hiei watched her from the corner of his vision, trying not to be obvious about observing her.

Hours later after Botan had done her work, which had _not_ been done without complaint, Shinpi lounged in Yusuke's living room on the couch. Hiei perched on the windowsill, listening to the sounds of the city as Keiko and Yusuke slept soundly in their bedroom. Yusuke had apologized offhandedly about not having another bed to offer but Shinpi had waved off his concerns. A couch was plenty. Hiei never used a bed anyway and Shinpi was already in their debt for allowing her to spend the night and borrow some clothes. She'd thrown all of her sewer water stained attire away the minute she'd stripped for her shower after Botan had finished with her.

Keiko had been asleep before they'd arrived and they'd tried to keep the commotion to a minimum to avoid waking her, at Yusuke's begging. He griped that he didn't want her to yell at him for ruining his clothes. Shinpi had shushed him and shooed him to his room, telling him to go be with his girlfriend. No need to fret over demons, she'd said, they were fine.

"You enjoy being around Yusuke." Hiei's comment came unbidden, but casual as if they'd been having a perfectly normal conversation about the topic.

Shinpi picked her head up from the arm of the couch and stared at him. He wasn't looking at her, instead his face still pointed toward the glass of the window. She couldn't see his reflection and wasn't sure if he could see hers, given the angle.

"I like his energy." She agreed, reticent.

"He makes you smile and laugh. You don't do that at the temple, not even for Yukina."

The observation earned a quizzical head tilt from the woman, her brows pulling down.

"I suppose I don't laugh much." Shinpi sat up and looked at her hands, pulling her attention away from Hiei's back. "I don't normally have much to laugh about, honestly."

Hiei nodded, not that she could see it. He watched her through the glass, noting the line of her shoulders as they fell slightly.

"Unusual of you to notice." She told him softly.

"I didn't until tonight. I suppose it's a case of not realizing something is missing until you see it filled in." He told her just as quietly, neither of them wanting to rouse the Detective or his woman.

Her lips quirked, the threat of a smile, but it fell away before it truly had a chance to form. Her hands stopped fidgeting with each other. Leaning back against the couch, she stared up at the ceiling with that look that clearly meant she'd been lost to her thoughts. Hiei was surprised to find himself able to discern the expression without pause.

"Does Yusuke really think I'm on your team?" She asked the question so delicately, as if she was afraid for him to hear it and respond.

Hiei weighed his answer carefully, measuring what he knew about Shinpi against the truth of the matter. For all his misgivings about her nature, he knew one thing still stood as fact. Shinpi was a wolf who wanted a pack, a family. She'd lost hers. Lone wolves rarely howled, maybe that's why it had never occurred to her to call for help tonight. The communicator in her pocket had gone unused because she'd believed he wouldn't have come for her even if she'd called.

"He normally means what he says." Hiei told her, a bit firmer with his tone. "If he says you're on the team, then that's what it is."

"Why wouldn't he take your opinion on the matter into consideration?" She wasn't talking to him, he knew, but merely vocalizing her many thoughts. "Your word was good enough to determine my fate in Spirit World. Why wouldn't you carry the same weight here?"

"I do." Hiei told her carefully, watching this declaration settle on her brow. It creased the skin and pursed her lips. "As hard as it may be for you to understand, I don't have an issue with you being on the team if you're willing to fight like you did tonight."

Her mind rolled around the idea, turning it this way and that. Hiei suppressed a chuckle as her head turned slightly while she examined her thoughts. Silence lapsed between them and he allowed it to stand. If this was the end of their conversation that was fine.

"I've never been on a team before." Shinpi seemed puzzled by the mere idea of it as she laid back down. "Seems like there might be a lot of rules. I'm not sure I'm built for that sort of thing."

The barely audible musings made Hiei smirk as he turned to glance at her. She couldn't see him, he knew that. She cuddled into the couch, still muttering to herself about the ludicrousness of the whole affair and of Yusuke. When Hiei passed her on the way to the front door of the apartment after her breathing had evened out he glimpsed a smile on her sleeping face.

…

"Get away from me." The demon scrambled back, a useless attempt to put space between himself and Hiei.

"I'm glad you're still alive. I thought I'd killed you on accident." Hiei offered a malicious grin. He sank down in front of the demon, teeth showing as he spoke. "I needed one of you alive. I'm glad you didn't disappoint me and die while I was gone."

The bodies of the demon's leader and comrade rested where they'd fallen, Shinpi's trophy case of victory for the night. Hiei glanced around the tunnel and observed the damage in more detail now that he wasn't pressed to get the woman and Detective medical attention. After a few moments he turned back to the creature cowering from him.

"You have something I want." Hiei informed the demon, eyes narrowed to prevent any argument. "You're going to give it to me."

"If you let me live I'll-"

"You don't get to make demands." Hiei unwrapped the Jagan. "You're going to die either way. Don't test my patience on the matter."

Without any other warning the fire demon jerked into the demon's mind, prying through his memories relentlessly. He saw the events that had transpired over the past months, but they hardly mattered. Piles of dead humans meant little to him. Then he came up on tonight, on them listening to the conversations above through the manhole covers. The fear of facing the detectives. The excitement when Shinpi and Yusuke alone progressed into the sewers.

Hiei reviewed these memories until they felt like his own. Everything that had to do with Shinpi, stolen from the demon and etched into his own mind. But he resurfaced unsatisfied. The fight itself had been too much for these underclassed idiots to appreciate. This demon could barely make out Shinpi's quick movements and the memories were tainted by fear and loathing. Hiei scowled, annoyed, because this was the first chance he'd had to see her _fight_ and all he could do was watch a shitty, grainy copy of the actual events. But even then, it was impressive. Shinpi had an array of skills he hadn't thought to consider. She seemed quick to adapt to her surroundings.

It made the urge to shake her awake with a challenge that much harder to ignore. Yet he managed. He had other things to do and she still needed to recuperate.

What Hiei needed was someone to talk to.

…

"Honestly man, if she fights like that all the time, I understand your obsession." Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck, eyes fixed on the depths of his coffee mug. "You should have seen her. And even before we were cornered, she kicked serious ass."

"I did see." Hiei admitted quietly, staring at his hands as they wound around the paper cup Yusuke had bought for him. He didn't need to look to know the detective was staring at him. "I didn't kill my opponent. I waited until Shinpi fell asleep and then I left, going back for him. I reviewed his memories. I saw everything."

"You don't sound happy." Yusuke pointed out, frowning.

"His senses were too dull to appreciate what was happening." Hiei scowled at his drink. "Her movements were blurs to him. I didn't get to witness the finesse I'm sure she etched into each strike."

"You're pissed you didn't get to see her in full glory, huh?" Yusuke nodded and then leaned back in his chair. "And you drug me out here at the ass crack of dawn to talk about it because you didn't want her hearing."

"Kurama doesn't get it, Detective. Not the way you do." Hiei allowed and it sounded to Yusuke like he was making a case for himself. "My _obsession_ bothers him. He thinks I'm forcing my will on the woman."

"Aren't you?" A brow arched, the question sliding out easily.

Hiei's grip on his cup tightened.

"Dude, I said I got why you wanted to fight her, but honestly, I feel like you're in deeper than you think. I'm not sure exactly what is going on here, but I know it's something." Yusuke pointed a finger at Hiei, his hand wrapped around his coffee. "Shinpi said she felt like nothing you did was for her benefit. It was all selfish."

Hiei inhaled slowly, glaring at his fingers. Then he released his cup and slid his hands over the table then down to his knees as he leveled Yusuke with crimson irises that demanded the other understand.

"None of you get it." Hiei declared and the statement obviously annoyed him. "Even she is so buried in her own turmoil she doesn't understand."

"Explain it then, because honestly with the dog comments and the verbal harassment you kind of come across as an ass." Yusuke pointed out dryly, leaning forward. "I don't think you're a bad guy, Hiei, but I think something about Shinpi makes you a little worse than you used to be."

"Goddammit, I wish everyone would stop pretending she's some delicate princess that needs protecting." Hiei growled at him, his temper lost. "She's not like your woman or even Yukina or Botan. She's a warrior. She was made to fight."

"How demons do you know that can heal people?" Yusuke demanded and Hiei ground his teeth together. "Because at my last count, it was literally just Yukina."

"Mukuro-"

"Has tech, sure, but she doesn't put her energy on the line. Shinpi? She used _life energy_ to save that kid. She's a healer. And a fighter. I don't think you're giving her enough credit."

Hiei scowled and he knew this conversation was a lost cause. If Yusuke wasn't going to understand his motives no one would. He'd hoped the detective, in his bull-headed glory, would at least see the merit in what he was trying to do but like Kurama he came up just short of the actual goal. Hiei drank his coffee and glared with menace at the side of the café they'd claimed for the discussion.

Picking his words very carefully, aware that he currently stood on precarious ground with his team Hiei spoke again.

"I'm not the fool you take me for." He told Yusuke, not bothering to look at the other man. "I understand her potential, Detective. Possibly better than she does herself."

Yusuke scanned him then frowned. "Then why are you being such a dick?"

But Hiei didn't answer him. He merely got to his feet, drained his coffee and marched away with his hands in his pockets, the crumbled remains of his cup the only indication he'd been at the table at all.

…

"Yours were ruined." Hiei pointed out, dropping the shoe box in Shinpi's lap while she stared at it. "You'll need a pair to travel to the temple, yes?"

"Yes." She answered him quietly.

Botan raised her eyebrows, staring at Yusuke who offered a shrug in response. They sat quietly by the wayside as Hiei marched through the apartment to the woman on the couch, gifting her with the box of shoes without so much as a glance toward his hosts.

"This isn't an act of benevolence. I'll want repayment." Hiei pointed out when she edged her fingers along the sides of the box. "I want to fight you again."

"A sparring match for shoes?" She mused, and then finally met his gaze. "Why?"

"You're going to show me what you're made of." Hiei told her and there was no room for argument in his voice. "If some half-assed demon in a sewer deserves your energy, then so do I."

"I had something to fight for." She pointed out, raising her eyebrows. "The child, the detective. I had reason to call on my powers."

"I'll give you a reason." Hiei assured her.

She pressed her lips together then assessed him, eyes roving down then up. Her lips quirked to the left, that lopsided grin tugging at her mouth.

"We'll see." She nodded. "Thank you for the shoes."

And the words were followed with a smile too genuine suddenly. Hiei nearly reeled from it, but refused to let her see it had surprised him. Fists hidden in his pockets meant she couldn't see how he'd tightened his fingers into his palms. But her smile didn't waver even as she hid it behind her hand, sparing him a glance before darting her eyes away.

"Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to be your pet." She ventured, a teasing lilt to the words and Hiei frowned openly, drawing a giggle from her. "You're taking such good care of me."

"Shut the hell up before I make you swallow your teeth." Hiei snapped at her. "Now put on the shoes so we can _leave_ I'm tired of being in the city."

"I was hoping to get some shopping done while we were here, though." Shinpi didn't lose the light in her eyes, but her smile faded. "Who knows when you're going to let me leave that mountain again."

"Woman, we both know that if you wanted to leave you'd find a way. Get your shopping done. You have two hours." Hiei rolled his eyes away, avoiding looking in Yusuke's direction. "Don't make me come get you." 

"Sir, yes sir." She grinned again and Hiei couldn't help but slide his eyes back to her to study the expression.

It looked more natural than the stony mask she usually wore. He swallowed.

"And when we get back, you'll spar with me." Hiei told her firmly.

"Whatever you want, Hiei." She agreed readily, rising to her feet and crossing close to him. "Are you going to chaperone me today?"

"You don't need a babysitter." Hiei hadn't meant to lower his voice, but it happened anyway. "You'll come back in time."

Something about her expression shifted, minute but enough to draw his attention. A slight spark in her eyes, a different twist in her grin. He wasn't sure what it meant or why it happened, but it made him narrow his eyes to cover how interested he was in studying the change. What he didn't notice at all was his own reaction. A slight softening of his stance, head tilted barely to the side in a reflection of Shinpi's body language. His lips pulled into a smirk, eyes glued to her face.

It wasn't until she walked toward the door and his gaze followed her that he realized Botan and Yusuke were staring at them wearing matching expressions of knowing a secret that was _too good_. Hiei glared at them and jerked his attention away, not wanting to suffer their annoying questions he was sure were coming. He made his way toward the door as well, waiting for Shinpi to get her new shoes on before opening it.

"Thank you for your hospitality, I'll wash the clothes and send them back as soon as I can." Shinpi bowed her head to their hosts.

"Go." Hiei pulled the door open and nodded to it. Shinpi walked through, tossing a wave over her shoulder to Yusuke. Before following, Hiei allowed the door nearly the full way, turning his attention to the two people at the small table in their kitchen. "I don't know what you two are thinking, but cut it out. It's annoying."

Then he left and slammed the door behind him. They waited a heartbeat before sharing a knowing look and Botan giggled, shaking her head while Yusuke just grinned.


	13. Payback

**A/N: I've had a lot of this chapter written for months. But the rest is brought to you by cough syrup and a budding cold or respiratory infection, either way, here we are.**

 **I wanted to thank everyone who is reading this story for taking the time. I really appreciate it. A Guest had asked why bother with a rewrite unless I'm planning on changing the plot and I wanted to say that some elements *will* change. But also this rewrite is happening because I'm a better writer than I used to be. I feel there are things I can bring to this story to do justice to it that I lacked before. I hope you all agree as you continue reading.**

 **Chapter 13: Payback- In which Shinpi startles Hiei, fights Yusuke and earns a little respect.**

* * *

A bandaged fist connected with Shinpi's mouth, jerking her head to the side and sending her to the ground. Hiei and Shinpi had been locked in a sparring match in the forest, him so eager to test her strength he had barely let her deposit her bags before pulling her out here. Shinpi's fingers dug into the ground.

Hiei sprang back, the closest thing to alarm he could muster crossing his face as he landed in a crouch. Every one of his instincts burned that he needed to _stay away_.

He hadn't felt this way since he'd encountered Kurama's anger for the first time.

The woman uncoiled, licking at the blood on her lip before using the back of her hand to wipe it away where it dripped on her chin. When her eyes found him, cold and brilliantly blue, the alarms sounded again.

 _Danger._

Nothing had changed, not on the surface. She was the same human woman she'd been the second before, but now, the way she watched him, he knew he'd made some critical miscalculation. He shouldn't have allowed them to get so far from the temple. He'd separated himself from the rest of the team. It was his own fault for acting so recklessly and forcing her out here to spar with him while the others lounged around the shrine. He should have requested an intermediary like their last fight.

The idea shocked him as he realized he'd been planning his failure. How? How had she ripped this mentality out of him?

Coldness crept down his neck, over his shoulders and into his veins as his eyes widened. His breath hitched in his chest, trapped behind an invisible wall in his throat. Her small, nimble fingers pressed under the hinge of his jaw and along the sides of his neck, the touch light but he might as well have been caught in a vice.

"I like that expression on you, it's pretty." She spoke in such a gentle, careful tone. Her fingers pressed into his flesh with more firmness. "It smells intoxicating too, your fear. I could just bottle it up to wear."

Hiei swallowed, trying to recover himself.

"But it's an unnatural scent on you, as lovely as it is. I hope I never have to smell it again." She kept her voice as soft as it had been, which only put him further on edge.

The sensation of dangling himself over a cliff, vultures above and sharks below, gnawed at him. Trapped, no right direction to flee. Hiei felt her shift behind him, the heat of her body closing against his. Her chest nearly touching his back, her breath warming the cup of his ear as her hands snaked around him. One dipping down to ensnare his throat, the other raking through his thick hair, clutching the strands at the scalp.

"I'm sorry I thought about killing you." Shinpi whispered the apology against his ear, lilting and in no way sincere. "I honestly I hadn't realized you'd sense something so benign. An exciting possibility for me, I think."

And just as suddenly as her presence had come, it slipped away. Her fingers trailed over him and through his hair, featherlight and sending chills over his skin. He shivered and wasn't sure if it was the passing threat or the way her nails had glanced over his nerve-endings. She looked down at him as she walked around to his side, smirking as though she'd just conquered some huge feat.

Hiei couldn't help himself, he glared up at her with enough malice to send her reeling. Or he'd hoped to, but the smirk remained, those blue eyes fixed on him.

"That's better." She told him, tilting her face away from him so he could no longer read her expression. "I definitely prefer that hot glare to anxiety on you. Far lovelier."

"Fuck you." Hiei got to his feet, fists curled at his sides.

"Another round then." She shot him a look and if he almost mistook it playful. She lifted her hands stepped back into her usual stance. "Give me your worst, Hiei."

He flew at her, not needing to be told twice and didn't relent until he had sufficiently recovered his pride. She didn't trip his instincts again. More infuriating, she seemed to be enjoying his barrage of punches and kicks, grinning when he wormed through her defenses. It was always a trap. He should've fought her more like he did the fox, they had so much in common, but his anger wouldn't allow him to wearily calculate her intentions.

"I give up."

The admission of defeat came out strangled, Hiei's hand wrapped firmly around her throat. His fingers dug into her skin, the juncture of his thumb to his forefinger placing an uncomfortable amount of tension against her windpipe, crushing the bones. The bark of the tree behind her bit into her shoulders and back through her shirt. Even without him strangling her it was hard to breath, she was sure he'd broken at least one of her ribs and it had slowed her down enough for him to catch her.

Hiei pressed her more firmly into the tree, snarling down at her, tightening his grip.

She knew what he wanted from her wasn't words. It was a display. He wanted to break her, see her wince or cry out. He wanted to know he still had the upper hand but she wasn't going to give in to that desire. His anger burned her skin, glowed in his eyes. She wondered if he ever directed that passion toward anything other than causing someone else pain.

Sweating and trapped, but too stubborn to feed Hiei's ego, Shinpi gripped at the cracks in the bark, hands trapped down at her sides to avoid presenting herself as a threat. More pressure. She made a sound, but refused to show her discomfort.

"Is your pride really worth dying over?" He demanded of her, the first words he'd spoken since he'd swore at her. The rage subsided to cool analysis as he scoured her face. "Any more pressure and I'll break the bones."

 _So stop it then_. She thought bitterly, but she couldn't have vocalized the sentiment even if she'd wanted to. The restriction of oxygen was started to dull her senses, pressure building up in her face.

"You're not afraid." Hiei seemed interested in this development. "You either trust me not to kill you, or you don't think I will."

It was neither. She just didn't care either way. Sure, she suspected he wouldn't go through with the ordeal of actually killing her, it would be too much effort to deal with the aftermath for him. But it wasn't trust that made her feel that way. She had no doubt, that given the chance without consequences, he'd have snapped her neck a long time ago. It boiled down to convenience, really, an easy calculation to make. He'd choke her until she lost consciousness, maybe a little after, but then he'd drop her and leave her there to recover on her own that way if something happened it wasn't on his hands.

"Shinpi." Hiei spoke her name like a command and she answered to it before she realized what she was doing, moving her eyes to meet his even as her lids grew heavier. "Why haven't you fought back?"

Her eyes shot open, confusion beating against her muddled brain. What was he talking about? She'd already given up. He was the one who wouldn't relent. Fighting would only make this worse. She'd seen his temper.

"Hiro won't stop when you ask him to." Hiei lowered his voice, dark with a new edge she didn't fully recognize. From the momentary flash in his eyes, he hadn't known what it was either.

Her tired arms raised and she wrapped her hands around his wrist, biting her teeth together as she tried to muster up the strength to pry him off. It was difficult, when she couldn't breathe. Her hands and feet felt so far away, almost detached from her body. As much as she hated to admit it, Hiei was right. Hiro wouldn't stop. He'd only stop when she was dead. She had to be prepared to fight through the impossible.

But her hands couldn't follow her directions anymore and her fingers lost all sensation, her grip going slack as black crept into her vision. All at once the train whistle of losing consciousness swallowed her, darkness rushing over her sight and feeling leaving her body. Her last discernable thought was that she was _not_ going to thank Hiei for this lesson.

It was probably her imagination, the dark chuckle that followed that bitter sentiment.

* * *

"There was a moment where I legitimately thought she was going to kill me." Hiei told the fox as they lounged on the couch together, Hiei's feet propped up on the coffee table.

"You say that almost fondly." Kurama noted, amused.

Hiei, for all his valor and complaints, was drawn to those things that triggered new sensations in him. If he'd actually felt threatened at any point during his fight with Shinpi, he'd pulled something from the experience that juxtaposed any normal reaction. From the slight curl of his lips and the way he peeled his eyes open, Kurama could guess the woman had earned some respect from the fire demon.

"It reminded me of you, but was also different." Hiei tried to explain, but the words weren't coming.

How to describe the twisting coil of danger that had seized him? Or how the woman had caught him by surprise, moving faster than he'd expected and appearing behind him? She could have snapped his neck, if she'd been inclined to. And her hands had promised that exact demise, until they'd curled through his hair and around his throat. He couldn't rightly describe that either, the thrill of being trapped by her.

Kurama would either laugh or think he was insane.

"It happened so quickly." Hiei worked to try and get the point across, trying not to lose himself in his own thoughts. "I was on her, I had the upper hand. I struck her across the face and suddenly, I just _felt_ it."

Danger. He'd felt the primitive warning sounding off in his brain that he was in danger.

"The look she gave me. I can't describe it. But I felt it." Hiei didn't bother trying to elaborate further, sure the fox got the idea. After all, he'd produced similar results from Hiei during one of their first skirmishes.

This had been different, though. Hiei couldn't pin down why. It wasn't just the sense of danger that had alarmed him, but something deeper, more specific. The sensation that he was being hunted. That's the only thing he could think to call it.

He'd been prey for the first time in his life, and it wasn't something he was likely to forget anytime soon.

Her damned compliments rattled through his brain too, forcing him to roll his shoulders to loosen them. Every word he remembered her speak tried to birth a shiver down his spine. It wasn't fear. He wasn't sure what it was. Excitement, maybe? It had been a long time since he'd felt a match so intensely.

Kurama studied his friend, who'd gone quiet, and noted the flitting emotions flashing through Hiei's eyes. Confusion, amusement, pride and a few even Kurama couldn't identify in him.

"I'm going to fight her again." Hiei's quiet admission had been more a thought that accidentally got vocalized than a topic of conversation, so Kurama treated it that way.

* * *

Kuwabara wheezed, continuing to run as Shinpi sat on the bench she'd built for Yukina, a book open on her lap while she drank tea, purple handprints decorating the skin of her throat. "Pace yourself, Kazuma, you're only at four out of ten."

"I…told...you…five…was…my…limit." The lumbering carrot top ran passed her.

"I told you to keep up with your training." She shot back coolly, flipping a page in her book. "And here we are."

"Yeah, so, I thought Koenma vetoed this." Yusuke swept a hand around the grounds, encompassing Kuwabara's track.

"Koenma, technically, did nothing but question my motives. I was the one who ended the conversation. And since he didn't actually outright deny me, I'm doing it." Shinpi drawled, amused with herself as a glint entered her eye. "But you're not here to argue the semantics of Kuwabara's training."

"I'm not." He grinned at her, offering a harmless finger gun.

"I'm going to warn you, Hiei did a number on me yesterday. I'm not at full health." Shinpi placed a bookmark against her page and closed the tome in her lap, setting it on the bench. "I'd like to keep this purely physical."

"Aw, come on. I want to see those fancy elemental powers." Yusuke pouted and Shinpi laughed at the childish reaction. "But I guess whooping your ass the old fashioned way will be fun too."

They made their way toward the open swamp grounds, leisurely in their pace and without tension. It was nice, to begin a sparring match in good standing. Her fights with Hiei had been pressured, the expectation too high. With Yusuke it felt like she was about to have a laugh with a friend. It was a characteristic that earned her bemused respect, and helped her understand his impressive appeal to his allies.

It didn't elude her that demons flocked to Yusuke. Aside from Kurama and Hiei, he'd earned the wholly noticed respect of Yomi and Mukuro, of a slew of A and S-class demons in Makai. Even at The Dark Tournament, he'd caught the attention of his powerful foes with his indomitable spirit.

The sense of being watched turned her attention over her shoulder as she walked beside Yusuke, finding a pair of crimson eyes boring into her with unusual curiosity. Kurama too, followed them out, a small smile on his face as though he were eager to watch this showdown and what it entailed. Strange, she hadn't meant to put on a show. Tilting her head, she looked forward again to notice Yusuke had come to a stop.

"Here good for you?" He gestured to the field around him.

"Sure." Shinpi nodded, allowing her arms to fall to the side as a secretive smile stole over her features. "Oh your mark, Urameshi."

He nodded, grinning like a madman and said, "Go."

"He's a fool to rush her head on." Hiei muttered, hands in his pockets as he watched the fight begin.

Shinpi stepped swiftly to the left, pivoting her body as Yusuke ran at her, one foot hooking his ankle and causing him to stumble. He grumbled, climbing to his feet, and then wiped at the tip of his nose with his thumb.

"You think she'll win?" Kurama mused, glancing at Hiei as crimson eyes remained fixed on the sparring parties.

"No. She'll lose." Hiei assured him, a smirk pulling at his mouth. "And Yusuke will revel in it, but it won't be his choice."

"You think Shinpi will throw the fight." Kurama surmised, earning a slightly nod. "Why?"

"Because this isn't about winning, it's about understanding her opponent." Hiei's smirk grew. "She's capable of ending this match whenever she wants to, but she'll chose to dance around Yusuke until he takes her down and then she'll submit. It's the same she did with me."

"I remember." Kurama nodded. "You believe she's gauging our styles?"

"I think she's cataloguing our weaknesses." Hiei remembered when he ran through Shinpi's thoughts, darting sparsely through her memories.

She knew that seeing them in the tournament had given her an advantage, but she also knew they'd grown. She wanted to see how much. With Kuwabara, she wished to foster growth. With the rest of them, she wanted to arm herself with as much information as possible.

"Will you fucking stand still?" Yusuke grumbled, deflating some. "How the hell are we supposed to fight when your running away the whole time?"

Cobalt eyes slid toward Hiei and Kurama, then back to Yusuke. Shinpi sighed, shrugging, and then she was gone. The heel of her palm slammed into Yusuke's chest, crushing the air from is lungs before he could react. The same hand moved up, smacking against the underside of his chin and throwing his head back. As he reeled, Shinpi swept his legs from under him, delivering a second hit to his chest that careened him into the ground.

"Did I break anything?" She asked him, crouching beside his prone figure as brown eyes gaped upwards toward the rolling white clouds.

His eyes moved to hers, noting her light tone and _almost_ amused expression.

Yusuke planted one hand on the ground and spun his legs around, forcing Shinpi to leap back from him if she wanted to keep her legs under her. She flipped onto her hands then sprang to her feet, falling into a practiced stance. Eying each other with wicked grins, she tossed him a wink then beckoned him to come get her.

Yusuke launched a barrage of strikes toward her face and chest, her small hands deftly canceling out each attempt. No matter how fast he moved, she kept up.

"She's fast." Kuwabara balked, sweat pouring heavily over him and drenching his tee.

Hiei tossed him a look of utter distaste, brows drawn down. "Brilliant commentary."

"Leave Kazuma alone. He's never seen me fight really." Shinpi shoved Yusuke's arm to the side and ducked under the leg he cast at her.

"Can you truly say any of us have seen you fight? _Really?_ " Hiei shot back at the woman, annoyed she was eavesdropping when she should be paying attention to her opponent.

Blue eyes darted to him, an expression infuriatingly vague crossing her features when she didn't answer. Then she yelped, Yusuke's fist slamming into her stomach and doubling her over. Wincing, she wrapped her arms around herself and staggered, forcing herself to straighten.

"Are you okay?" Yusuke put his hands up so she could see his palms, concern robbing him of his playful grin.

"I'm fine." She swallowed heavily, swaying slightly. "Let's get back to it."

But one arm remained around her middle, her eyes pinched and he shook his head. "You're hurt."

"I've had worse. Come on, let's fight." She stepped toward him, losing all signs of humor.

"Nah, it's okay. I can wait." Yusuke nodded at her, lowering his hands and placing them on his hips.

"Don't take pity on me. My enemies sure as hell won't." The words flew from her mouth before she could stop them and her eyes widened as tension racked over her shoulders under Hiei's immediate scrutiny.

The fire demon was there suddenly, hoisting up the front of Shinpi's shirt and glaring at the deep purple and black bruises marring her skin. Kuwabara barked a protest, throwing out some line about a woman's privacy. Even Yusuke called out in annoyance. But Hiei ignored them, his eyes glued to Shinpi's.

"You should have told him you were injured at the offset." He scolded her hotly. "And you should have told _me._ "

"You're the one who opened my eyes to the fault in my logic. If I'm going to get stronger, I'm going to have to accept pain." She jerked back from him with a scowl. "You were right. Hiro wouldn't stop."

Hiei's nostrils flared as he fought with his anger for a moment. "So you fight back, not enter the fray when you're unfit for battle. How am I supposed to fight you again if you're dead on your feet?"

"As usual it comes back to your needs." Shinpi growled at him. "I'll fight you right now, Hiei, if it will shut you up for five minutes."

"What I want is a fight with you taking it seriously. I want to see that energy Yusuke was boasting about." He growled back at her. "In your condition you're barely able to handle an easy going skirmish."

"You'll see my power when I've decided you've earned it." She bared her teeth and then looked around at the concerned faces of the other men. "I'll be fine in a few days."

"Then in a few days I'll give you a reason to level up." Hiei warned her darkly, eyes narrowed. "Until then you're done. I don't want to see you fighting until your ribs have healed."

"For the last time, you don't get to decide what I do." Shinpi toed up to him, reclaiming the step back she'd taken. They stared in each other's faces, both with fists at their sides. Hiei's hand flashed out, fingers digging into the worst of her bruise and he watched the color drain from her face.

"Idiot." He rolled his eyes and stomped away from her, allowing to wallow in the pain.

* * *

"They approached me near the mountain." Hiei explained to his comrades, mostly bored, as he described the messenger his leader had sent. "Mukuro would like me to come back. It's been a while and I need to check in."

It had been a day since Yusuke had sparred with Shinpi and the woman's attitude hadn't improved much. As it was she was currently fussing over being coddled as she helped Yukina with the temple's chores. Hiei was glad she'd found something to occupy her time so she might actually heal. The handprints he'd left on her throat had faded to an ugly yellow-green. He only hoped her ribs looked better.

Knowing the wench, she was training behind his back.

"When do you leave?" Kurama asked idly.

"Hn. I'll go in a few days. There's something I want to do." Hiei didn't vocalize what it was that kept him from answering Mukuro's call immediately.

"Be careful." Kurama offered and then glanced at Genkai, who stared at Hiei as if the demon could hide nothing from her. "I'm leaving in the morning to head back. Yusuke and Kuwabara will too."

"Hn. Is that woman satisfied with the regimen she put him on?" Hiei asked, genuinely curious.

Shinpi's insistence on creating the perfect routine for Kuwabara had caught his interest. She truly believed she could craft a half-way decent fighter from the man. Despite his age and his limitations. Hiei didn't understand her drive, but he couldn't deny it.

"I think so, yes." Kurama answered and then smiled.

Hiei merely nodded, stalking from the room and heading for the back of the temple. He'd avoided encountering Shinpi since he'd jabbed at her bruises and he planned to keep it that way until she was well enough to fight him one more time before he left.

He wanted to go back to Mukuro with the knowledge that the woman was well on her way to her former intensity. The thought of leaving before he was positive she could handle herself tightened the muscles under his shoulders.

* * *

The air between them was thick with frustration and fury. Shinpi didn't bother with a smile for him. Hiei stared back just as seriously. He hadn't told her why he was forcing her to fight him today. He'd only asked if she'd healed enough to handle him. If she knew he was leaving the next morning she might pull some stupid trick to postpone. Hiei didn't want that.

He _needed_ this.

Yukina waited nearby, watching with concern creasing against her forehead and the corners of her eyes. Genkai was nowhere to be found.

Good. Hiei didn't want the old woman's interference this time.

Let Shinpi raise her hand with the intent to kill. At least he'd know she was capable of the act.

He blurred forward, a plan in his head about how this would unfold. Shinpi, for all her calculations and stubbornness couldn't back down from a challenge. Not from him. That much had grown evident in the last weeks. She told him he had to earn her power, so that's what he'd do. He'd push her until she had no choice. And if he had to stomp all over whatever strange balance they'd struck in Urameshi's apartment, so be it.

She met him in kind, furious. Deflecting his blows, meeting his fervor with her own. Good. He wanted her angry.

Throwing Shinpi to the ground, Hiei planted his foot firmly between her shoulder blades, his weight forcing her down. "Get up, _princess_."

Shinpi growled, enraged by the disrespect and her own weakness. How far had she fallen? Allowing this humiliation? She might as well slit her own throat and save Hiro the trouble of getting her blood on his shoes.

"I said, get up." Hiei applied more pressure, snarling down at her.

And this one. With his haughty attitude and side glances. This damn waste of energy was able to pin her down with one foot, his dirty boot staining her shirt as she struggled to keep herself from collapsing entirely. He called her _princess_. Who the hell did he think he was?

Her knee found a way under her, allowing her to regain some of her strength as she tried to stand.

"You know, despite all your previous words, you don't look that formidable to me." Hiei told her, a dark expression on his face. _Show me._ "We must've confused you with someone else. Honestly, you're nothing compared to the image history painted."

Her teeth ground together as she forced her arms to straighten, her foot coming onto the toes and slowly, she began to creep upwards.

"Hn. I don't know why I'm bothering to waste my time." Hiei pressed forward, forcing more weight onto her back. She didn't buckle or budge, holding steady. Her eyes were so intent on the ground, she didn't seem him smirk. _That's it._ "How are you supposed to beat Hiro if you can't even stand up to me? First you let me strangle you and now this. I'm beginning to think you like being beaten and ridiculed."

"Hiei!" Yukina's voice carried over to them as she came running from the laundry line. "Let her go!"

"No." Shinpi growled the word, her fingertips and then first knuckles digging into the ground. "Don't stop him."

Hiei glanced down at her face, the sheer determination displayed there enough to encourage him. He applied more weight.

"Back off." He turned to Yukina, a cocky expression making her eyes narrow. "She's the one who accepted a challenge from an opponent she couldn't beat. This is her fault."

"You're being cruel!" Yukina continued to rush forward. "Hiei, leave her alone!"

"No." Shinpi repeated the word and then the wind shifted directions.

The earth started to groan and she managed to yell before the swamp underneath them sprung up like a geyser, creating a wall between the ice maiden and the fire demon. Shinpi screamed out and her energy poured into the air, a tangible thing of wind and mist, smelling like rain. Hiei's eyes widened, his balance thrown off for just a second until a grin splayed over his features.

This was the woman he'd been reading about. The one who had Spirit World worried. He was happy to meet her. Shinpi got her feet under her and she stood, Hiei's foot sliding off of her in the process. It left her panting for breath. Her skin covered in the mist surrounding them, her chest heaving. She reached up and yanked her shirt over her head, falling into a fighting stance as she continued to pant, facing down the fire demon in her training pants and sports bra.

Hiei assessed her and then couldn't seem to hide his pleasure as he tipped his head down once and slid one leg back, raising his hands to mimic her position.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He told her over the rush of water in the air.

"Let's see how you feel when you're at my feet." She spat at him and the energy she released was unreal.

Hiei couldn't help but glance down her, her arms swollen with muscle, her stomach lined with it. She'd dedicated her human life to her training, it was obvious. No part of her lacked the visible representation of her efforts. But she was still in a human body.

He'd see how far that could take her now that she was playing seriously.

No one would pull as much from her as he would, he knew it. And he was about to make sure she knew it too.

When she attacked, it was with a such a ferocity that Hiei was pushed back. Constantly he found himself on guard, playing defense. When he got the upper hand, she flipped it around. Her energy came at him like a barrage, her fists and legs extending beyond their reach. He noted that she never seemed to call on her elements against him and he didn't push it that far. The wall of water remained active and he knew that must require a fair amount of her attention.

The fight went on for hours. Hiei deflecting kicks and punches, slams of Shinpi's intense strength. Shinpi planting herself and refusing to lose, accepting more than her fair share of pain.

The sun had gone down by the time they were standing in front of each, each heaving, sweat dripping off of their chins. Neither made a move, both waiting for the other to display some last tenant of their strength. Make some mistake. Attack.

"Is that really all you've got?" Hiei demanded, despite the fact that if he took a step he'd surely fall to his knees. His legs were shaking, his arms raised but weary. Shinpi looked composed, pouring sweat but otherwise steady.

It was an illusion.

Years of work had perfected this careful mask. Her body ached in every muscle, some bones likely bruised if not broken. She could pretend until she lost consciousness, though, that she was in control and fine. She wasn't. Hiei had taken every ounce of energy she had and expended it. The fact he was still standing irked her. The fact she allowed it because she couldn't continue was worse. But still, he didn't make a move and as she watched him tremble from exertion she knew she had one more chance. One last shot.

The water died, the wall falling, as she lurched toward him, her fist directed at his face. And yet, between springing from her place and connecting with Hiei's jaw, her eyes rolled up until her head. Darkness swam over her senses without mercy. She never knew if the hit connected or made an impact.

Hiei caught her by the shoulders, the addition of her weight sending him back a step in his exhaustion. Her right arm fell over his shoulder, the punch definitely meant to connect with his cheek. It missed him by a few inches, her hand loosening as she lost consciousness halfway to him. And that's how he caught her, mid-punch and asleep. It had taken hours but he'd manage to exhaust her. His pride might never fall again. But even as he snorted, forcing himself to act irritated, his hands slid around the woman who fell against him. Shinpi's face rested against his shoulder, her entire body slack and there was nothing for him to do but hold her as he regained his strength for a moment.

By the time he walked into the temple, Shinpi on his back, everyone else was asleep. He deposited the woman on her bed as gently as he could given their awkward position. He even took the shoes off her feet and pulled the blanket up around her. When he closed the door behind himself, his eyes glanced over to Genkai who watched him from her post against the wall to his left.

"Took you long enough." She noted. "She must've been tougher than you thought."

"I still went easy on her." Hiei rolled his eyes. "But yes, she held more power than I'd thought."

"Yukina is furious."

"She'll get over it."

"And Amon-Shinpi?"

"She'll survive to see tomorrow. Don't wake her in the morning, let her sleep. She'll need to recover." Hiei closed his eyes for a second longer than he meant to. "That body is still human."

"For now." Genkai nodded. "But I imagine she'll only continue to strive for her former perfection."

"You think she'll find a way to get her old body back?" Hiei perked up at the idea of it. He'd like that. The idea of facing the woman in her former glory aroused his interest. "Hn. That might be worth my time."

"You look tired, Hiei. Get some rest." Genkai pushed off the wall and began to walk away.

He didn't respond, just aimed himself toward a seldom used room at the back of the temple. By the time he made it there, his legs were nearly completely useless and his body was shutting down. He hit the futon as darkness swam into his mind without even getting the chance to wonder who had prepared the room for him in the first place.

* * *

He was surprised to find Shinpi awake, already on the lawn running through stances when he crept out the door. Dawn had barely broken, sweeping shadows still covering most of the grounds in darkness while the red-orange light crept its way through the treetops and over the mountain. Even Genkai wasn't awake yet.

"You're leaving?" Shinpi eyed his cloak then rolled her eyes, coming out of her practice at his intrusion.

"Yes." Hiei walked down the steps, still sore from their fight the day before.

"Do you have an estimated date of when you'll return?" She focused on him a little too intently, as if probing him.

"No."

"I see."

Silence rung between them, something unspoken whispering through the blades of grass like the gentle wind. Hiei took a step toward her. She didn't move back and her expression didn't shift.

"Is there a date I should return by?" He asked her, a slight smirk growing.

"It doesn't matter when you come back. I was only asking out of curiosity. Yukina and the others will want to know." She kept her expression schooled.

"Ah, for the others." He nodded and she narrowed her eyes. "When I get back, do you think you'll be strong enough to beat me?"

"Most likely." She offered a subtle nod. "Within the month I should be able to at least pound you into the ground like a railroad spike."

Hiei's smirk grew. "Sounds promising. I'll see you in a month then."

"Tch." She looked away from him. Then softly, she asked, "Did my last hit connect? I can't recall how the fight ended."

"You passed out halfway to me and I ended up having to carry you back to the temple." He offered, daring another step. She glanced back at him and he realized he'd crossed some invisible threshold of her comfort by coming this close. With still two feet between them it appeared he'd entered her bubble of personal space.

"It won't happen again." She spoke firmly, as if he'd accused of her something she had to deny.

"I thought you didn't speak in certainties you can't control." He teased, looking down at her with his chin lifted. Her cheeks filled with color. "I enjoyed exhausting you. It's my new goal every time we fight. You'll fight to win. I'll be fighting to draw it out for as long as I can."

"Creep." She glared at him. "Don't get used to it. Next to you see me I'll be a new caliber of demon."

"I look forward to it."


	14. Mercy

**Alright team. Here's what it is.**

 **I'm plotting out the next several chapters because next month is NaNo and I'm participating and I don't want to let this story fall to the wayside. So I'm going to attempt to write up the next few weeks' worth of chapters so I can continue posting on a relatively regular schedule (I'm aware I post anywhere from Friday to Monday, but it's all** _ **close enough**_ **).**

 **I hope this chapter answers some questions. I've been dying to post it for a bit now. I think that it's a pervasive thought in Makai that Kin Jiro was Amon-Shinpi's son, just given his age and the fact she raised him alone. I like to think that the Takanis are fairly private about their lives to outsiders, so even Amon-Shinpi and Kuya's existence wasn't widely known outside of their village until they were older.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reads! And thank you to those that review, it gives me so much happiness. Not to mention a boost in confidence. I love all of you and appreciate your support!**

 **Chapter 14- Mercy: In which Hiei and Mukuro discuss Amon-Shinpi and a revelation is had, even if it is a bit misinformed.**

* * *

Hiei sat across from Mukuro, catching her up on his time in Human World with dry, sparsely detailed stories. He had a reason for indulging her when he normally wouldn't have bothered. She had information he wanted. Questions only she could answer danced in his head, so he humored her idle interest in the other half of his life. They were finally nearing the topic he'd been slowly drawing towards since he'd stepped foot in the castle and they'd begun this debriefing session.

He rounded the topic of Shinpi with some reservation, prodding Mukuro by first just informing her of his mission that had started this whole mess. He made a show of nonchalance as he continued to distract himself with sharpening his sword, focusing more on the task than on the answers he provided, so it seemed.

"They found the Takani blade?" Mukuro furrowed her brow. "What's the use of that? Only Amon-Shinpi was capable of wielding the sword."

"Perhaps she was the only who chose to, but anyone of the Takanis could have used it." Hiei shrugged.

If he hadn't looked up to speak the words, he wouldn't have noticed the sudden rod of tension that straightened Mukuro's spine. Or the wideness of her eye, the pupil contracted. She gathered herself quickly, but when she spoke next it sounded like a warning.

"What would define being a Takani?" She asked him.

It was Hiei's turn to furrow his brow, setting the whetstone on the table in a measured motion as he focused on his commander. "Blood, from what I heard."

"Perhaps a heart?" She scanned over him and then looked away, an unpleasant thought portrayed on her face.

"I would have assumed someone with a Takani heart would have to be a Takani." Hiei pointed out.

"I'm a fool."

Hiei sheathed his sword. He didn't like this conversation. He'd only meant to pick her brain about Shinpi, but now he could tell he'd revealed something to her she hadn't seen before.

"Mukuro." Hiei said her name carefully. "What have you realized?"

"Who has the sword now?" She eyed him. "Spirit World?"

"I do."

That stopped her short, then allowed her exhale fully.

"I'm sad to say I'm relieved. If it fell into Hiro's hands now, it would be a war." Mukuro nodded. "I'm going to assume you've stashed it somewhere safe."

"Hiro?" Hiei stared at her, hard and probing. "How could Hiro possibly use the damn thing?"

"I didn't think he could until you said any Takani could use it. Since he's had the boy's heart transplanted into him, he must be able to wield the power." She waved one hand through the air as if the details were meaningless. As if she hadn't just shaken Hiei's own understanding of the situation to the core. "But I'm relieved to know he can't get his hands on that weapon. The havoc he'd wreak; it would ruin what tenuous peace we've been able to keep since the barrier fell."

Hiei worked to form his next words around his dry tongue. "What boy?"

Mukuro swept her eyes over him, likely noting the tightness around his eyes and the gravel in his voice. Blinking once, then tipping her head to the side she frowned.

"The last Takani." She told him quietly, her own tone neutral. "A young boy. I can't recall his age, I'm not sure I ever knew it. Amon-Shinpi didn't like anyone prying into her son's life. She kept him fairly well hidden. I only ever saw him twice."

Hiei thought, perhaps, a train had manifested and slammed into him. The immediate shock of the words battered at his mind and he remained quiet for several minutes, trying to process them while Mukuro continued explaining. Her chatter barely registered, but in some way he also heard every syllable.

"When she showed up in Alaric, stating that I'd summoned her I knew her for the fool she was. It was a shame, honestly. Amon-Shinpi was the strongest of her people, a reluctant but capable leader, and far more intelligent than she had any right to be. I don't know how she missed the evil in her own home. I told her as much. I learned what happened when she sought my help years later, desperate to put Hiro down for murdering her child. I can't rightfully imagine what she must have gone through, walking in on him carving the boy's heart out. When she came begging for my aid, she wasn't the same demon I'd befriended. She died not long after that. My only solace in the whole affair was that Hiro hadn't managed to get her heart too." Mukuro sighed heavily, the memories bitter and unpleasant. "It's better that she went, I think. If you thought I was chained by my past you would have loathed to see that woman. There was no recovery for her, nothing that could have eased the darkness that consumed her. Death was truly the only mercy she had left."

Hiei's hands fisted against his pants, under the table where they couldn't be seen. He tightened his jaw until his pulse sung in his ears, eyes glued to his whetstone.

 _Only until he produced an heir with this body.…It's imperative I kill him before that happens.…No. I will be the one….Because I'll be dead. I thought I'd made that obvious._ Her words, Shinpi's words.

" _Honestly, it probably would have been kinder if I'd left you to be executed."_ His words, callous and cold. He hadn't realized what she was fighting for. Yukina had tried to warn him. Hell, reviewing it all, Shinpi herself had said it in not so many words.

" _What else do you have to fight for?"_

" _My family."_

Hiro had taken it away from her, hadn't he? It was war that claimed her parents, but Hiro who broke the woman so completely it echoed in this new life of hers. Hiro who had taken their child and cut him open like an animal. Hiro who had stripped the woman of any will to live beyond killing him. He'd turned her in a vengeful spirit. A corporeal poltergeist.

"I always wondered what Shigure charged for the transplant." Mukuro mused, mostly to herself. Hiei's silence made him nothing more than a sounding board for her thoughts now. She continued to talk as if she couldn't stop herself, like he'd uncorked some preciously full bottle inside her that she now had to spill before closing again. "Hiro was always a monstrously selfish creature. I can't imagine him parting with anything for the sake of a surgery."

Shigure did this? Shigure took Shinpi's child's heart and shoved it into the walking abomination that was her mortal enemy? Hiei's nails cut into his palms. If the man wasn't dead already, Hiei would have loved to kill him now.

"I was the fool." Hiei spoke, fury lacing every word as it mounted in him, the air around him growing hazy with heat. "I was the fool for not recognizing what she was fighting for."

Mukuro shot him a puzzled look, confused by his sudden vehemence and his words.

"I'll see him dead at her feet. Some crimes even I can't forgive." Hiei raised his gaze to meet Mukuro's and the intensity of the fire in his eyes made her tilt her head. "Shinpi lives and I will make sure Hiro pays for his crimes against her."

Mukuro raised her eyebrows, then they fell and a grin claimed her mouth.

"Why are you smiling?" Hiei demanded, hot and tense.

"I knew you were guarding a secret. If she's letting you call her Shinpi, you two must be close friends." Mukuro drawled, amused. "How long were you planning on keeping this from me?"

"I never intended to bring you into it." Hiei stated dryly. "It didn't concern you."

"How did she manage to escape?" Mukuro pressed. "Did she tell you? I'd enjoy the story, I think, of her fooling death."

"She fooled nothing. She died. She's been reincarnated into a human body." Hiei frowned. "She cropped up on the case we were working on, looking for what turned out to be her imposter. She's a shadow of her former self. And she holds no love for you."

Mukuro sighed again, her expression falling. "I had always hoped she'd survived."

"She claims you betrayed her." Hiei's tone suggested he agreed in that moment. "That you turned your back on her when she needed you most. She says you and I are alike in that way."

Mukuro remained silent for a few moments, then looked away from him. A softer look entered her eye before she turned, her shoulders falling slightly.

"I didn't want to be the one to kill her." Mukuro admitted, raking her fingers through her cropped copper hair. "But I knew that if she managed to defeat Hiro, it would be with a wrath too strong to control. I had seen her in battle before, Hiei. I knew what she was capable of. The extent of her victory would have destroyed everything near her. I would have had to kill her."

"Death was the only mercy left for her." Hiei repeated her words from just moments earlier. "I've been calling the woman a coward for months now."

His sentence didn't need the words to display his sentiment to Mukuro. His tone and expression said it all. He'd been accusing Shinpi of cowardice, but maybe it was Mukuro he should have slung the insult toward. She understood immediately, as she had the habit of doing. Her lips pursed but she didn't argue.

"There are times, Hiei, when you must choose between being a villain to your friend to attempt to protect them or find yourself complicit in their destruction." Mukuro sighed the words. "Her frustrating political stances aside, Amon-Shinpi was my friend. She was bound to die that day. I simply couldn't be the one to put her down."

Hiei frowned, but he thought about Yusuke. Kurama. Mukuro herself. If any of them ever grew too powerful for their own good, or went astray, he wasn't certain what his actions would be. He couldn't say for sure he'd have the gall to run his blade through Yusuke's heart to keep himself safe.

Instead of dwelling on that thought, Hiei explained the situation to Mukuro as it was when he left. How he was training Shinpi. His desire to face her in a fight.

"You'll need to keep yourself in peak form, then." She tapped a finger to her chin, a specter of double meaning lining her statement.

"I suppose so." Hiei agreed, his anger having slid away a bit, but not so far gone it couldn't seize him again at any moment.

"What will you do if her victory over Hiro doesn't quell her anger? What if it's not enough?" Mukuro asked the question as if she'd been trying to find the right moment to shoehorn it into the conversation.

But it wasn't her words that clacked Hiei's teeth together and made him push away from the table to stomp from the room. It was the underlying meaning. The hidden question, peeking from between each syllable, that sent him to the training room with the desire to destroy.

 _Are you willing to be the one to kill her?_

He didn't want to think about it.

"My advice, if you ever do find yourself face to face with Amon-Shinpi's temper, is to never let her see all of your skills. That woman wields one of the most adept minds I've ever encountered. She can pick out flaws you didn't realize you had and use them against you with cutthroat precision." Mukuro sighed wistfully, her mind falling back into a memory. "She's the one who informed me that when I intend to feign a left swing, my eyes squint."

"Why would she tell you that?" Hiei wondered, annoyed, standing on the threshold of the room. "Why arm her opponent?"

"To prove that even I had weaknesses. She lost our fight that day, but I left holding her in a higher regard." The king seemed to be admiring something far away, a warm smile gracing her features. "Her potential was always wasted on that mediocre plot of land she called home."

Hiei slammed the door behind him.

* * *

" _Upset you won't be the one to drive a blade into my chest?"_

Hiei opened his eyes, exhausted yet unable to sleep. He stared at the ceiling of the room he only used when he was like this. Sore. Soaked with sweat. Unable to stave off the claws of sleep for a moment longer. Despite his desperate need for it, sleep wouldn't come.

Every time he closed his eyes he was faced with Shinpi's hot anger again. Her lashing words which all suddenly made so much more sense.

His eyes glared holes into the ceiling above him.

A child.

The memory of her visceral reaction to hearing that a child had died swam through the haze of exhaustion again. He'd been trying not to think about it for days. Despite his attempts, it haunted him, waiting for the right moment of weakness to crop up again. Shinpi charging headfirst into battle to save a human boy. Shinpi pouring her energy into the frail creature in some wild attempt to save its life.

He hadn't really questioned her motives. He'd chalked it up to morality.

A child.

 _Her_ child.

A little boy she loved so dearly that losing him turned her into a monster too dangerous for even Mukuro to trust.

" _My curse killed them_."

Hiei pinched his eyes closed, bringing his hands up to cover his face. _Shut up._

" _It's likely she doesn't have much to live for."_ Kurama's words stung in a new way. The unsettling weight they'd brought to Hiei's guts doubled, growing cold.

 _Shut up._ Hiei repeated to his thoughts, frustrated with his mind for not relenting. For not shutting down. For subjecting him to these thoughts he didn't want to have.

" _Fighting won't bring her family back."_

He sat up. Did Kurama know? Had she told him, during their little interrogation session that had somehow made the woman exhausted yet impossibly lighter for that night? Was the fox harboring this secret? If so, why not tell him? Why not tell the team?

It seemed like the sort of important detail they deserved to know.

 _Their_ child.

Shinpi's. But also Hiro's, wasn't it?

Mukuro hadn't said as much, but that's what Hiei took from the conversation. The ultimate betrayal, the most disgusting of behaviors. A man murdering his own offspring for power.

Hiei's fists curled, his nails biting against the bandages he'd wrapped around his palms.

What a fucking _nightmare_ Shinpi must have found herself in. Believing she'd been summoned by a friend only to be called a fool. Only to find the accusation correct in the worst possible way. To come home and find her lover carving into her child's chest, unable to stop him, unable to undo the damage.

And then to _lose_.

To lose everything. The fight. The child. The lover. Her land. Her power. Her _life_.

" _Death was truly the only mercy she had left."_

" _I went after Hiro with every intention of dying_."

Hiei opened his hands and stared at them, unsure what the coil of heat winding through his stomach and up his spine meant. It was more than anger. He couldn't place the emotion. Maybe some sort of resolve?

Every accusation of selfishness that Shinpi had hurled at him hit home. She'd been correct. Just as Mukuro had warned, she'd pinpointed his character and showed it to him. Even then he'd refused to see. He'd only been thinking of himself, of how to raise her power out of her so he could compare it to his own. Using the woman as a measuring stick suddenly felt tasteless. He still wanted to fight her with his all. He wanted to see how powerful she could be. But that should've been secondary.

He should've been trying to train her to face Hiro.

He didn't know anything about Hiro accept that now, he'd defeated Shinpi twice. That he was looking for a way to the sword. That he was an abhorrent creature that needed to be exterminated. But by Shinpi. This was a job for her and her alone.

Hiei wondered now, knowing what he did, why she hadn't embedded that axe in him when he threatened to kill Hiro if she didn't shape up. He hadn't known the extent of her true fury. He'd thought it was a petty quest for vengeance. A pissing contest because Hiro had managed to take her out. He hadn't really thought on why.

Dwelling on Shinpi's sordid past, scowling down at his hands, Hiei lost himself in thought. He knew his way hadn't been working, Yukina had even pointed it out, but he was going to push anyway. Shinpi deserved to be stronger. She deserved having the best chance possible of defeating Hiro and reclaiming what little solace she could from the act. Would it bring her child back from the dead? No. And it would never fill in the scars on her soul. But it would, hopefully, ease the pain some.

Even a little relief would be worth the effort, wouldn't it?

And he understood why she'd collapsed her power into herself, suddenly. Mukuro's refusal to help her face Hiro sparking the revelation. When Shinpi lost control of herself, it was a cataclysmic event. Something so dangerous even the likes of Mukuro feared the outcome. If that had happened in that small house, killing humans….

Shinpi would have never forgiven herself if she'd killed her human mother.

Spirit World wouldn't have given her the chance. They'd have sent the Spirit Detective and his crew after her, calling her a rogue, manipulating the situation. Shinpi would have died at the hands of Yusuke and even himself, amongst the others. They'd have reveled in their victory for years to come, not knowing the true extent of the situation.

Hiei would have never gotten _that_ moment.

The memory of Shinpi's fingers resting against his neck and jaw. Her hands wound in his hair and around his throat. The spark of fear, adrenaline and excitement that flowed through him when she'd captured him. He'd have never gotten to experience that if she hadn't had the foresight to keep herself in check during the most tumultuous years of a human beings existence.

The Jagan twitched at the thought, an anomaly that made Hiei wince, reaching up to touch the skin around the third eye as it peeled itself open suddenly. A mind of its own, Hiei had said on more than one occasion. And it hadn't appreciated his recent train of thought.

Hiei found himself viewing Shinpi as she poured herself over a desk, notebooks and pens scattered around the surface despite the pristine nature of the rest of the space. Her back straightened, her hand reaching up to finger the hairs risen on her nape. Looking around the space she frowned, then glanced up at the ceiling with an offended, yet dull, expression.

"I don't need to be babysat, Koenma." She snapped the words, glaring upwards. "Idiot."

Then she turned back to her work, shaking her head as irritation tensed her shoulders.

 _Alive._

Not Hiei's thought, but the Jagan's.

The image dissolved as suddenly as it had manifested, leaving Hiei to reel from the sudden lurch with a headache. He grimaced, the pain only adding to his exhausted frustration.

What the hell had that been about?

Of course she was alive. If she couldn't handle a week without him, there was little hope at all for her. Funny how she assumed it was Koenma watching her and not him, given her adamant hatred of the Jagan Eye. The implant sent a thrill down Hiei's spine at the suggestion and the fire demon mused about that before deciding it wasn't worth the time to think about at the moment.

But the thoughts ceased, his mind suddenly quiet and Hiei found relief in the silence. His eyes drifted closed and he fell back against the stiff mattress of his bunk, unconscious sometime between the beginning and the end of the fall.


	15. Intermission

**A/N: Just as it's titled, this is really just an intermission chapter. Very short. I wanted to show that Shinpi and the guys were spending time together, not just mention it in passing in future chapters. Plus, the conversation about Star Wars popped into my head during work and I had to write it into _something_ and this was as good as anything.**

* * *

"You're all wrong, obviously the most adept character in the franchise is Leia." Shinpi waved her hand through the hair, messenger bag draped across her body as she walked between the three men.

"Uh, dude, are you forgetting about Luke?" Yusuke gaped at her, offended.

"Fuck Luke." She leveled him with a determined glare. Then, with a considerate pause she tacked on. "Fuck Luke, but honestly, I'd let Han Solo fuck _me_."

Kuwabara choked on his can of coffee (sweet and creamy as it read on the label), as his face tuned the same color of Kurama's hair. Whether it was the crass wording or the sentiment behind the statement itself, the rest of them never knew. He stared at the woman as if he was seeing her for the first time and she were some concerning, ethereal creature.

Shinpi offered him a smile.

It did not help.

"I should have guessed you'd be partial to Leia. I am as well." Kurama ventured to suggest, chuckling as Kuwabara floundered to join the conversation. "An intelligent woman of great skill and determination. Seems right."

"I've dressed up as her for several costume parties." Shinpi lifted a finger, her other hand occupied with the sparkling guava juice she'd conned Yusuke into buying for her.

"Do you still have the costume?" Kuwabara asked meekly.

"Of course. It was expensive." She nodded, grinning.

"Okay, but, white robes or golden bikini?" Yusuke leered, waggling his eyebrows.

"Both, naturally." Shinpi responded, her voice a warm summer's breeze and the Spirit Detective stopped walking to stare after her.

"That's hot."

"You can borrow the bikini sometime. I think it'd look nice on you." She winked at him, and then lowered her voice as she leaned toward Kurama. "I also have a Han Solo costume. It's nearly a perfect replica of what he wore in second film. I spent _a lot_ of money on that. It even has the gun."

Kurama laughed, eyes sparkling. "Again, I shouldn't be surprised."

"I still think it's just really cool you even watched the movies. Sis never wanted to go with me." Kuwabara complained.

"We should watch them together. I'm sure she'd find a way stomach the experience." Shinpi offered with a wolfish smile.

"Stop hitting on my sister."

"Stop having an attractive sister."

"Gross."

Blue eyes cut to him, a dangerous glare glinting in the sunlight.

"I mean gross because she's my sister, not because you're a… y'know."

"Wait? You really _are?_ " Yusuke jumped headfirst back into the conversation, eyes wide. "I thought that thing you said about Mukuro was a joke."

"You've slept with Mukuro?" Kurama's eyes widened too.

"I said nothing. You implied I'd been intimate with Mukuro and I simply didn't bother correcting you." Shinpi sighed heavily. "Boys."

"I didn't realize you were a lesbian, is all. I mean, you're not exactly, you k'now." Yusuke waved a hand at her. "Butchy. So, are you like a lipstick lez or what?"

"Deliver me patience because if you give me strength I _will_ abuse it." Shinpi looked up at the sky earnestly and robbed another chuckle from Kurama's throat at her plea.

"Most demons are actually very sexually open, Yusuke. A partner's sex doesn't matter as much as compatibility. There are several species, if you'll remember, and we don't all fit together." Kurama decided to step in and save the woman. Or more, save the others from the woman.

"Ooooooh." Both Kuwabara and Yusuke nodded.

"Also might I add that you have a very skewed idea of what a lesbian is." Shinpi interjected. "Not all gay men are feminine, not all gay women are masculine. Idiots."

Yusuke went to say something else, sarcastic from the look of it, but Kuwabara thoughtfully shoved him.

"Still." Kuwabara glared at her. "Stop hitting on my sister."

* * *

"Your hands are magical." Shinpi lulled, grin wide and comfortable. "Thank you, Shizuru."

"I can't let a mane like this go unattended." Shizuru quipped, offering a pleasant smile in return as she finished trimming Shinpi's hair in the kitchen before both women began to clean up.

Kuwabara sulked near Yusuke and Kurama as the men waited in the living room to start the movie night. "I really wish she wouldn't hit on my sister."

"I really wish they'd makeout." Yusuke joked and earned himself the brunt of Kuwabara's body weight as the other man attacked him.

Kurama eyed them, then turned the page of his book. "She's going to beat you both if you scuff her table again."

Yusuke shoved the coffee table to the side with his foot as he rolled, moving to pin Kuwabara to the ground.

"God, I just wish they'd kiss and get it over with." Shinpi smirked as Yusuke came up, sputtering his indignation as Shizuru laughed behind her. "You two _would_ make a handsome couple."

"I approve." Shizuru lulled and grinned as Kuwabara barked a protest. "Aw, come on baby brother. It's just a joke."

"You're in a good mood." Kurama pointed out, eying Shinpi as she came to sit in the other armchair near him. It prevented her from sitting on the couch with the other three, allowing her proximity without being forced to touch anyone else.

"I suppose I am." She allowed, eying him.

"It's been nearly four weeks since Hiei left, hasn't it? He should be back any day, really." Kurama went on as if this were a casual conversation.

This was about as casual as pointing a loaded handgun at her, in her opinion.

"Is that true? Time sure has flown without that barbarian breathing down my neck." Shinpi countered idly. "I hadn't realized. I'm sure he'll fly in demanding his fight, any moment now."

"Indeed." Kurama eyed her.

"Indeed." She agreed, eyes narrowing. "Let's turn on the movie."

"Thanks for hosting this little viewing party. I've never seen these films before." Shizuru leaned toward Shinpi, who allowed her tense moment with Kurama to pass. "Sorry my baby bro is such a bother."

"Don't be. I enjoy Kazuma's company." Shinpi waved her hand in the air. Then with a sly smile, "I enjoy yours moreso."

Shizuru's eyes widened and she blushed but Yusuke turned out the light and Kuwabara pointedly turned on the VCR.

"I hate it." Kuwabara leaned to Yusuke to mutter.

"Don't ruin this for me." Yusuke whispered back, eating a fistful of popcorn as he glanced over at the two women.

"You're disgusting, Urameshi."

"God, I want them to get disgusting."

"What does that even mean?"

"Will you two idiots shut up? I can't hear." Shizuru swatted her hand against the back of Kuwabara's head, forcing silence into him.

Kurama glanced at Shinpi as the opening credits scrolled. The smile she'd donned for Shizuru had faded, her face falling into a stoic stone mask once again. Her jaw looked tight, even in the harsh shadows the blue light of the television allowed. Glimpsing her hands confirmed his theory, as he noticed the fists she'd curled against her thighs.

Her open body posture was a ruse. This entire night was. Just as her needling Kazuma about his sister had been, though he didn't doubt she might actually harbor an attraction toward Shizuru.

He didn't think she'd ever act on it.

Because all of this was a carefully crafted act, meant to convince them she'd grown to trust them. That she considered herself their friend and that they were in her good graces.

But in between the scenes of a galaxy far, far away, he couldn't deny what he saw in her. As surely as anything, a predator sat in their midst, coiled to spring at the first intrusion. But there was a loneliness that lined the defensive tightness of her muscles. A forced isolation.

"We can go." Kurama offered quietly, leaning toward her to do so without drawing the attention of the others in the cramped space.

Immediately she softened, her fingers unfurling from her palms and she pulled her knees into her chair. With a slight shake of her head a light entered her eyes. She said the next word with an honesty he hadn't fully anticipated.

"Stay."


	16. An Oath, A Lament

**A/N: Updating on Saturday, as the prophecy foretold. I'm going to try to make Saturdays my regularly scheduled update day for this story, since I've been bouncing around some.**

* * *

It almost felt good to be back, the warm clean air of Genkai's vast estate fingering through Hiei's hair in welcome after his longer than anticipated absence. He'd meant to be gone for a month, as he'd discussed with Shinpi, but one thing after another continued to come up. He'd found more and more time passing and suddenly two months had gone by.

But he was here now.

Too bad the women didn't seem to be.

Hiei walked into the temple, shirking off his cloak as he scanned the interior. Disappointment welled up when he realized that it was just Yukina and the old woman in the old shrine. His scowl must've betrayed him, because Genkai shifted those probing eyes of hers to him as if he'd spoken.

"Looking for someone?" She asked coyly.

"Who would I possibly be looking for? Only two people lived here the last time I checked." Hiei grunted, crossing his arms.

"Oh, Hiei! You're back." Yukina walked into the room with a smile. It seemed his absence had made his last day beating the power out of Shinpi a thing of the past. "Will you be staying long?"

"He's looking for Hichi." Genkai told the ice maiden with a smirk.

"I never said that." Hiei countered with a glare. "Senile old fool. Though I could ask you where you let that woman run off too."

"Hichi went home a few weeks ago. She asked me to give you a message." Yukina walked out and returned a few moments later with a note.

 _Given how incredibly late you are, I will assume our_

 _rematch is to be postponed, Jaganshi. A shame, really._

 _I was looking forward to destroying you. I'll work you_

 _into my schedule at my earliest convenience._

 _A-S_

He smirked, pocketing the note. Aloud, he huffed. "That woman thinks way too highly of herself."

"She's supposed to be coming back for a check-in with Genkai in a few days." Yukina told him. "I think she'll be happy you're here."

"I doubt it." Hiei rolled his eyes.

But it relaxed him some to know she would be coming to the temple. It meant he didn't have to make an excuse to hunt her down. Not that he needed an excuse. As a member of the team, checking in on a parolee would well within his responsibilities. This was just easier.

He could wait a few days.

It would give him time to focus on how he was going to approach her about the information Mukuro had given him.

Except, by the next afternoon he had already wasted all his patience. He realized Yukina had never actually offered an exact date and with the old woman haunting every fucking hallway there was no way he could ask without it being turned around on him. He was about tired of Genkai's sly glances. So he was stuck waiting with no actual end in sight, an infuriating concept.

Two days later Hiei stalked into the kitchen, done with his round of training for the day. Wiping sweat off his chin with his right arm, he came to a sudden stop.

"When the hell did you get here?" He demanded staring at Shinpi, who sat across the table from Genkai sipping from a cup of tea.

"I've been here for three hours." She deadpanned, setting her cup down. "Is that an issue?"

He turned to Genkai, bristling and ready to shout at her for not telling him, but the old crone smiled at him and he forced his lips to press into a thin line. Yusuke was right. She was a bitch.

"No. It's not an issue." Hiei glanced back at Shinpi. "I got your note. Yukina isn't a messenger pigeon."

Shinpi crooked an eyebrow, then turned back to Genkai. "Anyway. That about covers it. Kurama and I meet up weekly and will continue to do so until school is done. Kazuma comes over one or twice a week for me to check his progress. Yusuke has, for some ungodly reason, taken it upon himself to initiate some friendship that seems to be solely based on his ability to play video games at my place."

"Sounds like Yusuke." Genkai nodded. "Any issues?"

"Other than Yusuke? No. Everything has been fairly quiet." She sighed, head tilted to the side. "It's been almost boring."

Hiei moved around them, getting himself a glass of water as he watched them talk. Shinpi glanced at him a few times.

"What?" He snapped at her.

"I'm just trying to figure out why you aren't wearing a shirt." The cool response slipped easily from her lips.

"I was training." He huffed. "Is that a problem?"

"It was an idle thought, not an actual conversation starter."

They stared at each other before she rolled her neck and shoulders, averting her gaze. Finishing her tea, she got to her feet, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. Hiei swept his eyes over her, surprised by her attire. A dress? How were they supposed to spar if she was in a damn dress?

"So, same time next month?" Shinpi asked Genkai with a sincere smile. "I wish it was easier to get out here."

Hiei pushed off the counter. "I thought we were going to fight."

Genkai hid her smile behind her cup.

"I don't have time." Shinpi told him, all hints of expression draining from her face. "I had time, you know, weeks ago when you were supposed to be back. But currently I'm all booked up. As the note said, I'll have to work you into my schedule."

Hiei glared at her, tensing to argue when she stood up and bowed her head to Genkai then bid Yukina farewell. Her hasty retreat made it hard for him to shove insults at her without seeming desperate.

It also meant they didn't have a chance for him to question her on what he'd learned at Mukuro's. Or to offer his new plan. He wanted to make her stronger so she could see Hiro dead at her feet. He wanted to eliminate the question of her success from the equation. He wanted to test her again, see if she'd progressed, find her weaknesses and pad them.

He got the opportunity to do none of it because before he knew it, she was gone.

* * *

"Has this become a habit for _everyone_?" Hiei glanced around at his allies, strewn about in various states of comfort in Shinpi's living room. The woman herself had disappeared into the kitchen some time before, preparing food for her guests like a decent host, not a woman whose home had been over taken by her parole officers.

"Basically." Yusuke lulled to the fire demon, followed by a pain groan as he lost the round of his video game to Kuwabara, who hollered in victory.

"In your face, Urameshi." Kuwabara beamed.

"And you've allowed this." Hiei directed his statement toward Shinpi as she waltzed in with a tray of snacks.

"Allowed seems a stretch." She muttered, glancing around. "It sort of happened and my protests fell on deaf ears. I just don't actively force them out."

That made more sense.

"She fucking loves us." Yusuke snorted, sticking his tongue out at the women. "She just doesn't like to admit it."

"Hey, how's Miss Momozono doin?" Kuwabara helped himself to a handful of crackers. Shinpi glared at Yusuke then turned her attention to him. "She said her hip was bothering her when I saw her at the market."

Shinpi nodded. "I eased the pain. She's been well. We are having dinner tonight."

"She's a nice lady." Kuwabara nodded with a warm smile. "I'm glad you have her around."

"Who?" Hiei felt like his absence had entirely cut him from the loop of information. Not mention the social circle.

Shinpi needed to invest in more seating if her home was to become the new hangout, he decided.

"My neighbor. You might remember her from that time you pilfered my memories." Shinpi told him coolly. "Sachiko is a lovely old woman. She took me in when my parents died."

What a delicate way to cover her act of brutal murder. Hiei rolled his eyes. "I remember her. You're close?"

She didn't answer him, casting him an appraising look instead.

"So, how was Mukuro doing?" Yusuke sounded only partially interested, most of his attention fixated on the game as his fingers mashed against the buttons on the controller. "You were gone for a while. Trouble?"

Hiei nodded curtly. "Seems that something is upsetting the peace to the west of Gandara, but it's unclear what. Mukuro met with Enki and the others. They're going to increase patrols and attempt to determine a cause."

Shinpi glanced at him, brows pulled down and she looked away when he caught her stare.

"Sounds like it's under control." Kurama offered.

"For now. I suspect I'll be called back." Hiei frowned. His annoyance earned him several glances. He ignored them, too busy watching Shinpi who seemed determined not to look at him again.

She pointedly locked her neutral mask into place, not daring to let Hiei of all people see that his update had gotten under her skin. Her palms rubbed against her pants, thoughts whirling around her skull like leaves tossed about in a storm. West of Gandara? The timing was too perfect.

It was _him_. He was preparing to make a move. Strange though, that he would draw attention on himself at this crux. A rookie mistake? No. A flagrant display of power meant to alert the kings that he didn't fall into their realm of control? Could be. He had the ego for such acts. It was an omen, one that sat heavy on her mind. There was no mistaking this.

Should she inform Hiei? Of all of them, he seemed the one most likely to be drawn to the front lines if there were a confrontation.

Sparing him a considering glance, she decided against it. She had no proof. And her word would be meaningless to the kings, especially as she was. Who heeded the warning of ghosts?

Shinpi found green eyes glued to her face, and it made her stare back at the fox without blinking, refusing to let him see his attention had surprised her. Narrowing her eyes, she rolled them away from him.

"Are you alright?" Kurama softened his voice to ask the question, but it was a ploy and she wasn't about to fall for it.

"Perfectly." She nodded, a crisp movement. "I'm planning out the groceries I need to buy for dinner."

"Oh, hey, we should go do that." Yusuke set the controller down. "I need to pick some stuff up too."

Shinpi openly grimaced, a long suffering sigh escaping her. They could at least pretend that they weren't supervising her every movement. Every day these idiots showed up at her house, all or one of them, and followed her around like an imprinted duckling. Not only was it annoying, it had started to become such a regular thing that she'd nearly forgotten to be weary of the act.

She'd almost started to consider herself amongst the team's allies.

A decent manipulation on their part, bolstered by their movie nights and friendly questions, but that was the effect of proximity on the psyche. She just had to keep herself at a distance and wait out their patience.

"Come on, let's go!" Yusuke grinned at her, tossing his arm over her shoulder and tucking her to his side. "By the way, when are we going to get to finish our fight? You've been putting me off. I want to pound that pretty face into a new shape."

"As if you'd be able to land a hit on me." Shinpi teased him, slightly stilted. "You should have come with me to the temple the other day. We could have done it then, but I'm not going back for a few more weeks. I have classes to finish up."

"Ugh, I forgot you were as big a nerd as Kurama." Yusuke pretended to gag. "You telling me you'd rather be _studying_ then beating me up? Jeez. What a stab to the heart."

With a grin, Shinpi ducked from under Yusuke's arm, foot hooking out to cause him to stumble. When he moved to catch himself, she grabbed his arm and tucked it behind his back, landing with a knee on his lower back and a perfectly pleased grin lighting her eyes.

"Cheater." Yusuke whined, cheek against the floor. "You're a dirty, dirty cheater Shinpi."

"And you're an easy target." She released him and then hid her smile behind her hand, giggling. "Come on, idiot, let's get going. I'd like to be back before Sachiko comes over. I don't want her to have to wait on me because you're slow."

The smile she hid died away quickly as she caught herself. These were the moments she needed to be wary of, she cautioned herself.

These men weren't her friends, no matter how easily the act came to them.

It startled her that the thought of it almost made her _sad_.

* * *

How had they gotten here? Kurama was trying to figure it out. They'd been doing fine, walking toward the store when Hiei had commented on something offhandedly about the way Shinpi reacted to Yusuke. She'd responded with a dry remark, and it had turned into the two of them standing in the middle of the sidewalk launching verbal jabs at one another while the rest of them watched. Sighing, Kurama pinched the bridge of his nose and counted backwards from ten.

It had been a fairly peaceful two months, and he was now starting to feel Yukina's pain. Hiei's presence directly impacted the way Shinpi responded to _anything_.

"Your social skills are so lacking that even I have a hard time justifying your lackluster presence and I was literally raised by wolves." Shinpi told Hiei, eyes going up and down with a sneer. "Not just my father, who was an actual wolf demon, but I mean literal wolves. Giant, furred, four legged mammals that I can now for certain say had better manners than the likes of you."

"Being raised by wolves makes sense to me, seeing as how you're a complete bitch all the time." Hiei tossed back at her, arms crossed over his. "Animal apparitions sit a little lower on the totem pole so I'm not surprised that you lump yourself in with actual animals."

"Watch it." Kurama muttered, and Hiei huffed in response.

"That might offend me if it came from someone whose opinion touted even a modicum of my respect, but I don't make a habit of consulting loveless bandits on my self-presentation. Especially not ones that probably roamed the countryside all alone due to being such a huge dick that they couldn't make any friends. Anyone who's been wearing the same outfit since, and this is just a ballpark guess, they were nine, has no business talking down to anyone else about their origins." Shinpi crossed her arms too.

"While we're on the subject of wardrobes, let's discuss the hapless disaster that is yours. You're trying so hard to fit in with the humans that you've completely disregarded any credible attire that could pass as fighting gear. And I've had these clothes for less than a year, thank you." Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. "But no doubt that was some poor attempt to comment on my height, which is so original, I'm truly wounded."

"It wasn't a comment on your height, it was a comment on your immaturity. You found something comfortable and refused to give it up because it gave you some weird sense of stability in the tumultuous world you love to call home. That's the same style, cut and color of attire you've been wearing since the Dark Tournament. In and of itself, that tells me that you have a hard time moving on and growing. You're a stagnated, overrated, loud mouthed prick who thinks the world owes him something because nobody hugged him as a child. Except it doesn't. No one owes you anything and you should really drop the act of being a total loner because it so insanely clear that your friends love you and you care about them and this whole façade is done." Shinpi gestured down him and then back up before waving her hand to the side.

"Goddamn." Yusuke pulled back and looked at Kurama, eyebrows high on his forehead.

The fox leaned back too, his eyes darting back and forth between the two demons who were staring each other down. Hiei rolled his shoulders, dropping his arms to his sides as he assessed the woman in front of him.

"Is that why you insist on wearing those wretched excuses for clothes? Because your human mother begged you to and you finally bent to her will only to have her die so now you decide to walk around as a living shrine?" Hiei demanded. "Because as much as you've been trying to degrade me with my background, we all know yours. You live in a constant miasmas of unwarranted guilt that not only weakens you, but has negatively impacted literally every aspect of your life. You're so afraid of failing someone again you won't even accept the hands extended to you by the team because deep down you know that if you get attached to us, you won't be able to go through with this ridiculous suicide mission you call a plan."

Shinpi stepped back, then narrowed her eyes nostrils flaring.

"Don't sit there and pretend to understand my motives for not wanting your second rate team foisting themselves into my good graces." She growled at him. "My fear of failure is nothing new and it can't be used to undermine me. And neither can my guilt, because while you see it as a miasma, I carry it like a badge. I know my mistakes and I allow them fuel to me to carry out my _revenge_. Not all of us managed to wow a _king_ into supporting us by ripping off our shirts, so in the absence of a literal army, I will handle this the way I have handled my family's business for centuries. On my own and without hesitation or mercy."

"And you're going to fail because you're a stubborn moron who can't see that there is an _actual king_ who has thrown his support behind you" Hiei gestured toward Yusuke. "But you don't actually care about that because you'd rather die a martyr and be done with bane that is your existence. I don't doubt that you'll fight without mercy. I doubt you'll fight with enough restraint to make it back to the people who care about you, of which you have more than your fair share. While you're sitting there disparaging me over my connections, you're blind to your own. So why don't you just shut that pretty mouth of yours for five fucking seconds and allow us to help you?"

Shinpi blinked, and Hiei too suddenly realized that at some point during this argument they'd stalked toward each other so that he had to dip his chin to see her face at all. In each other's faces, shoulders lifting and falling with harsh breaths, they stared at each other.

"Maybe I don't want people caring about me." She told him. "Because as I'm sure you'll agree, I'm more trouble than I'm worth. No amount of support is going to change how this ends. And I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me."

"More of those guilt ridden excuses." He swallowed, wetting his lips. "My second rate team may not live up to your standards, but we have each other's backs, even when one of us might not deserve it."

"That's careless." She faltered, looking away. "Stupid. That's how people end up dead."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Hiei noted with a touch of humor. She looked back at him. "You can accomplish more than revenge if you want to, you know. Your inherent value is higher than that."

The responding quizzical, searching light that passed into her eyes caught him off guard. He almost repeated himself, softer. Almost. Instead he swallowed, the corners of his eyes pinching under her scrutiny as he tried to pry understanding from her expression. He felt every second stretch into a minute, each minute an eternity. They must've been staring at each other for five or six lifetimes, by his count.

"Why do you say things like that?" Shinpi asked him, barely even a whisper. "You ruined a perfectly argument."

"Because I mean them." Hiei wasn't even sure she could hear him. "We can go back to fighting. I have a list of annoying habits of yours I can go off on at a moment's notice."

"The moment's gone." She shook her head. "I've lost my momentum. You win."

She patted his chest twice, her hand falling uselessly down afterward, her fingertips trailing over his front. Her eyes had moved to the side of his face, unfocused. Nodding to nothing before she turned away from completely.

"I've got to go." She announced to no one in particular.

"Dude." Yusuke and Kuwabara muttered in unison, glancing at each other and then to Hiei. "Duuuude."

Then, quietly under his breath, Yusuke pulled Kurama and Kuwabara to him in innocent headlocks. "I told you two he had the hots for her."

"I heard that." Hiei whirled around with a vicious glare. "Keep your mouth shut detect-"

An explosion cut off Hiei's threat, the ground beneath their feet trembling as the sun set. Eyes wide all four of them turned toward the stream of black smoke pillaring upwards towards the clouds. Another world-shaking boom rattled through the air, punctuating the screams of humans as they fled. A tidal wave of sobbing, screaming beings flooding the street.

Kuwabara was the first of them to launch forward, "That's Shinpi's block!"

His word trailed after him and Hiei stepped to follow when Yusuke grabbed his arm and nodded toward a second pillar of smoke. "He's got it. That's where the most power is coming from."

Kurama, Hiei and Yusuke peeled off toward the second epicenter even as another eruption shook the windows in the buildings as they ran passed. Power, not so much that they couldn't handle it but more than should have come over the border without warning. Not just one either, but several signatures touting as at least B-class. Hiei and the others skidded to a stop in front of the veritable army, greeted by sneers.

"If you're here the target must be close."

* * *

"Shinpi!" Kuwabara panted her name as he slowed to a walk.

The street was in ruins. Concrete sticking out jaggedly over the furrows that had been drawn through the asphalt of the road, the sidewalk missing large chunks of cement. Shinpi's house was intact but damaged, visibly shifted from its foundation. Her gate was missing, the lawn a disaster of upturned earth and scorched grass. The houses around her were leveled, toppled to the ground like flimsy paper reproductions.

He stopped walking as he saw her, her name falling to silence on his tongue. What could he say? What could he do in this moment as another monumental strike in the distance quaked the ground under their feet?

He was powerless.

Shinpi cradled the silver haired Sachiko Momozono in her arms, pulling the old woman into her small lap. Even in this advanced stage of life, she was taller than Shinpi. Pain dug lines into Shinpi's face, into the woman in her lap. The void surrounding Shinpi began to quiver as Kuwabara watched, his eyes widening as he saw it convulse on itself. Expanding. Cracking.

"I can't mend this." Shinpi clutched at those frail shoulders, bowing her head over the woman. "I can't fix all the damage. But I can ease your pain. I'm so sorry. I should have been here."

"It's not your job to fix everything."

Blue eyes squeezed closed, anger beginning to cloud her mind.

"Do not defend my incompetence." Shinpi demanded, tone harsher than she'd meant it to be in these final moments, because they were assuredly final moments. She knew the feeling of someone dying in her arms too well to mistake it for anything else. "You cannot forgive me for this."

"I never blamed you, darling girl. No one blamed you. You've always done what you had to do." A shaky hand rose, blue veins easily seen through wan skin. A thumb wiped a tear from Shinpi's cheek, streaking russet in its wake. "Hichi, you are good. I love you."

"I…" She felt more tears fall, hot and angry against her icy skin in this moment. In this deplorable moment. "I love you too."

Her lips pressed to the woman's wrinkled forehead, and the vacuum shifted, breaking open and unleashing a wave of intense green light, pouring it into and over the body cradled in the demoness's arms. Blue eyes opened to careful slivers, the expression of agonized love clear as day in the light.

"Be good." The woman whispered and the light faded as her eyes closed, her lips still parted. Her chest lifted a few times, as if she was in a deep sleep, and then fell to never rise again.

Shinpi placed her cheek to the forehead she'd kissed, the energy fading. Kuwabara took a step forward, toward her, not sure what he was going to do except offer comfort. Even over this space he could feel the intensity of her sadness and anger. Her emotions leaking from her like a dam with holes pierced through the stone.

"Be good." Shinpi repeated the words to herself, maybe an oath, but more of a lament. The tears stopped as she opened her eyes fully and she grit her teeth together.

The sudden explosion of youki forced Kuwabara to his hands and knees, the green light a beacon. Shinpi stared up at the ever darkening sky with an expression the purest rage he'd ever seen. He'd thought he'd known anger when Yusuke had died at Sensui's hands. But this, this was so much worse. The ground around her didn't stand a chance under the force of her fury, cracking and buckling in on itself. Gently, she laid the woman on the ground, stepping over her body in the direction the others had run.

Wind sharper than anything he'd ever felt before cut around him. Shaking, his fingers digging into the ground, he could only watch as she started to walk away. The wind followed her, lifting her hair and twirling through it.

It took all his willpower to get his feet under him, running to catch up to her until she blurred, too fast for him to see, and he panted. Well, at least he knew where she was going. Then a pressure raised the hairs on his arms and neck, bringing his eyes to the sky. The clouds were starting to swirl against one another, moving toward the others. He started running again.

These demons were unfamiliar. A faceless army.

Shinpi arrived in time to see Hiei cut down another three demons, sweat dripping from his chin and jaw, a curse about the numbers falling from his tongue. Kurama nursed a wound to his thigh and eye, rose whip lashing. Yusuke was on the ground, grappling with the demon trying to pin him there. The cold wind that followed her stayed close to her skin.

No mercy, no hesitation, she whipped her leg around to cut an arc of wind at Yusuke's attacker, a gash forming on its chest. Running forward, she jumped and landed a solid hit to the demon's jaw. Then another under its chin. This one sent the top of its skull outward in a spray of brains, blood and bones. Her body twisted away and ignored the detective on the ground, targeting Kurama's enemy now. Blood pounding in her ears, she could hardly hear the startled cry of her prey.

 _Be good._

She surged, sliding into a kick that took out the demon's ankles. She rolled him and slammed her foot onto his shoulder blade, twisting his arm at an angle that led to an audible pop followed by a scream. Spinning it the other way, she broke it again, then slammed his head into the ground.

Seething, full of rage and without a target she screamed up to the sky and the swirling clouds started to braid into a funnel. She would tear this whole damned city off its foundation and send it back into the earth from which it was risen.

 _You are good._

She spun as there was a crunch on the rubble. The lead demon coming out of hiding to face her in her infinite fury. Again, his face sparked no recognition from her. He'd been sent here to retrieve her, she had no doubt. He'd be sent home as all her enemies had been.

In pieces.

Stalking toward him she growled, deep and throaty. The glass on the ground around them vibrated under the pressure of her energy. He stared her down, as if this would do anything but fuel her rage. He had no idea what he'd been sent to do. No idea who she was. It didn't matter, it wouldn't excuse him. More demons came out to flank him, pouring from seemingly nowhere, all baring their teeth and eyes clouded with bloodlust.

She'd faced larger, more powerful armies before.

The funnel above them grew stronger, the sound of it barreling down on them beginning to howl. Kuwabara panted, showing up to the edge of the fight. He started to shout at her, but she didn't bother listening. Yusuke screamed something that she also ignored. If they were smart, they'd run away. They'd get to safety. If they didn't, it wasn't really her problem.

These men weren't her friends. They were officers of Koenma. Their entire existence in her world was meant to keep her in check.

Good fucking luck with that today.

"Do you have the sword?"

Her body trembled. The sword? _The sword_? They'd murdered so many people, spilled so much innocent blood, and all of that for her _sword_? This entire block was destroyed. Limbs showed under piles of rubble.

Sachiko was gone.

Because of a _goddamn sword she didn't have_.

As she walked passed Hiei, he planted his feet, but the power of the vortex around her started to drag him forward. His eyes widened as he planted his sword into the ground and held onto it, refusing to give another inch. The rubble started to lift off the ground, feeding into the forming vortex around the woman as she came to a stop. His arms and legs strained to keep him being dragged along with the rocks and debris.

Tremendous. The power around the woman was tremendous. And chaotic. It would suck them all in at this rate. Where had this come from?

"We have to stop her!" Kuwabara called to him over the insufferable noise.

How were they supposed to accomplish that? Hiei turned back to the woman, and thought they'd have an easier time fighting a hurricane. Knocking her unconscious would work in theory, but he doubted they could get closer without earning her attention. He reached up and untied the bandana, allowing it to be swallowed by the funnel cloud threatening to fall on them. The Jagan opened and he focused on her.

Which is when she turned to look at him and he froze. Her eyes pierced him and he was struck by the haze of pure murderous intent he saw.

"I thought you'd be enjoying this." Her voice carried through the gusts and noise with ease, as if the elements held no bearing against her. "You wanted to see it, didn't you? Would you really deprive yourself of this chance?"

See it?

Understanding seized him as he looked up.

Mukuro's armies, sent home in carts, pieces so mangled they couldn't be identified. He swallowed. So this was more of her power. Their sparring match hadn't prepared him. When she'd said that by within a month she'd be able to beat him, he hadn't believed her. The Jagan fell to half-closed, shuttered for the moment. He didn't bother vocalizing his answer, and she seemed to accept his upturned face as consent.

"Keep them away from me if you value their lives." She warned him and her attention was fixated solely on her opponent. Hiei was nothing more than dust in the wind.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Yusuke hollered, barely heard.

Hiei wouldn't have answered him even if he could have. Admitting that he was refusing to stop Shinpi out of sheer curiosity would have meant dragging his team's ire onto himself. It was better to watch, to wait, than anything else.

He wanted to see her in action. But also, in a deeper part of himself, he wondered if he could even stop her. It was easier to whisper through their minds to keep back, that they had to wait this one out.

Shinpi raised her hand. Hiei licked his lips. The other three men held onto each other, trying to stay as close to the ground as possible. With a cold glare, she dropped her hand and the funnel hit the ground. The demons screamed as the micro-twister tore through their horde. Shinpi used her hands to guide the formation of wind, directing it through the mass of bodies until no one but the leader stood. Throwing her hand to the side, the tornado disappeared, sputtering from existence. Even with its disappearance the skies above did not clear. The wind around the demoness did not dissipate.

She was on the leader in a flash, taking him to the ground and straddling his chest. He shoved a piece of pipe through her left arm. It didn't slow her down. Ripping it out, she wielded it with her other hand to beat against his face. How many times had she hit him? Five? Ten? A hundred? She lost count, continuing after feeling him convulse under her and grow still. Snarling, she continued until a hand wrapped around her raised wrist as she tried to swing again.

Then the hand fell away and arms slid under hers, a face pressing into her shoulder, soft heat bringing attention to just how incredibly cold she felt. The pipe fell from her fingers, her arm sagging down to her side as she allowed Kuwabara to hold her. His tears wet her shirt, a mild annoyance that she didn't quite mind. She couldn't will herself to feel anything at the moment.

"You're a good person!" He told her, his grip tightening on her. "She thought so too!"

 _I'm not a person at all_. Shinpi thought darkly. _I'm not even really alive, am I?_

 _Hichi, you are good._

Her chest ached, her bottom jaw quivering under the strain of how hard she bit her teeth together as the first few drops of rain started to fall, the winds still raging around her like knives. He must've gotten cut coming so close to her. She could only imagine what he might look like.

"Let us help you." Kuwabara begged into the space between her shoulder blades. "Please, Hichi, let us help you too."

"I'm not…" She began as the rain started to grow heavier. Her head tipped down, bangs shadowing her eyes even as she squeezed them closed. "I'm not worth saving!"

Her cry penetrating the storm, tears falling down her cheeks.

"You're wrong. Anyone who can love as deeply as you do is worth saving." He whispered, pressing harder against her back. "I won't let you go, Hichi!"

 _I love you._

Shinpi choked and the storm broke in full, a sudden torrential downpour as she sobbed. But the winds stopped and her energy collapsed against her again, delving back into her bones where it couldn't hurt anyone.

"I'm sorry." Kuwabara told her and she clenched her fists. "I'm so sorry that you've lost so much, Hichi."

She couldn't fight him anymore. She couldn't push the feelings down, pretend she wasn't cut open and raw. The blood running down her arm felt cold, but Kuwabara was warm. His kindness radiated from him. Giving up, she bowed her head, devastated. Broken. In a pain that ran deeper than the wound she'd received.

"Okay." She relented, saying the only thing she could think to say to make him stop trying so hard. Her body loosened, her eyes opening in a heavy lidden way. "Okay, Kuwabara. Okay."

Her soft defeat made the arms around her come undone, robbing her of the warmth but also allowing her the space she wanted. She just sat there on top of the demon she'd brutally killed, staring at the mess she'd made of his head, and said nothing more.

"Can you walk?" Kurama's voice, concerned and gentle, delicate even, as he picked his way over to her.

"No." Shinpi responded emptily. "I'll probably be asleep soon. Don't wake me. Don't let Yukina waste her energy healing me either."

Hiei made a sound through his teeth, glaring down at her. But she didn't respond. The expression faded some. He had been ready to throw an insult, but the words died before they were manifested. Even as he watched, she sagged forward, lost to a hopefully quiet oblivion for a while. Stooping he grabbed her arms and tugged her onto his back.

"Can you manage?" Kurama asked him, eying the exhausted woman.

"She's lighter than she looks." Hiei snorted, rolling his eyes. "We should get going before the human authorities show up and we have to explain ourselves."

"Good plan." Yusuke nodded, frowning at the destruction around them. "If we got caught this would be a real disaster."


	17. An Outstretched Hand

There were no chains, merely several wards and seals. Some applied directly to Shinpi's skin to keep her power where it could be contained.

Not that she had any energy to expend anyway.

She'd lost control. What a stupid mistake. What had she been thinking? It didn't matter, even though she knew the answer. What mattered was that she was in a state of exhaustion she hadn't felt since she'd lost her brother and the subsequent fight to Hiro and yet the detectives couldn't seem to find it in their hearts to leave her alone. Her judgment would surely be coming from on high at any moment, one of Koenma's agents delivering the news of her execution with a flurry.

She just wanted to die in peace, dammit.

Yet Yusuke demanded she understand that they would fight for her, the last thing she wanted.

"Just leave me here." Shinpi struggled through the words, emotion lighting every syllable. Her raw pain filled the room, turned the air to a cold mist. Maybe she had more energy left than she'd realized. "Do what you've wanted to for months now and just _go_."

Hiei's hand slapped against her cheek before anyone could stop him. Shinpi sputtered, her head craned to the side, eyes wide in her apparent shock at his action. But Hiei kept his hand in the air, prepared to lower it against her face once more as his eyes narrowed to dangerous slivers. If the room had been cold in the wake of her pain, it turned frigid when he spoke.

"I have not wasted months of my energy just to have you kill yourself."

Yusuke gaped at the fire demon, shifting forward slightly but not quite enough to intervene. Kurama glanced between Hiei and the woman, alarmed, but equally unwilling to move. Kuwabara balked, biting back on his quick barb about Hiei's grotesque manners. None of them acted to protect her because all of them saw her visceral reaction to Hiei's words.

Her immediate glance toward him, some small hope in her eyes that died as quickly as it came.

So when Hiei wrapped his fist in her shirt and hoisted her toward him, no one stopped him.

"I'm so utterly disappointed in you that you're hard to look at, but I'll work through the misery to get my point across." Hiei locked eyes with the woman and refused to allow her gaze to wander. "You're coming back with us. That isn't a suggestion or a request. It's a demand."

"Why?" She asked him, quiet and furious.

"Because you're a member of the team."

"No. Why are you trying so hard?" She demanded of him and her hands lifted to his wrists but she didn't try to pry him off of her. Tears entered her eyes but didn't quite spill over her lashes. "Why do any of you try at all? I'm better off here. You all saw, I can't even control myself anymore. I'm a monster. I-"

The resounding echo of Hiei's palm colliding with her cheek a second time preceded the redness that welled up on her face from the impact. Shinpi stilled, surprised once again.

"I answered you." He warned her. "You're a member of the team. For better or worse, you're one of us."

"I'm not." She whispered, hoarse.

"Shinpi, look at me." Hiei bowed his head closer to hers and she flinched from the intensity of his gaze. "I do not waste my time on creatures undeserving of my attention. I don't have the patience for it."

"Implying I'm deserving, but you still haven't said _why_." She tightened her grip on his wrists, willing him to understand her confusion. To make sense of it. "All of this energy, all of this collusion, what's it for? What do you get out of it, any of you?"

"We get you, dumbass." Yusuke stepped forward and placed his palm on the crown of her head. "In all your stupid glory."

"Yeah." Kuwabara nodded, moving to place a hand on her shoulder. "You're smart and witty and you keep Hiei on his toes so that's nice."

"Not to mention your years of battle experience have proven indispensable." Kurama tossed in, moving to her other shoulder. "On top of all of that, we get to participate in the development of a truly talented, compassionate creature. The question is why _wouldn't_ we support you?"

"You round out the team." Yusuke nodded. "We could use a feminine touch, don't you think? Keep all us stupid boys in line. You've got a knack for that sort of thing."

She eyed them, face going slack as they spoke and defeat clearly washing over her. They all saw it and with every added hand on her body, she seemed to shrink.

"You get me." Shinpi repeated the words and seemed lost in them. "The monster who nearly destroyed an entire street. The woman who can't control herself. The creature who has allowed everyone she's ever loved to come to harm. Me. I'm not worth fighting for."

Hiei dropped her shirt and stepped back, disgust clearly written on his face. When Shinpi glimpsed his reaction she looked away.

"Not worth fighting for." Hiei repeated cruelly, snorting. "Tch. I saw a woman bereaved acting to prevent further carnage from her opponents. Someone so devastated by the loss of a single life they could not contain their grief. I've never met a demon so singularly capable of delivering on the reckoning of their ire as you are, because I've never met another demon who cares as deeply as you do about the people around you."

Shinpi's eyes widened, her gaze lifting to meet his, confusion pulling her brows together and opening her lips.

"You are _exactly_ the sort of creature we should be fighting for."

Her mouth formed a startled 'o' before she could stop herself, her gaze roving over him.

"You can have your moment of moronic self-doubt and penitence. Fine. But when we come to collect you, I expect you to come with us without argument." Hiei snapped at her. "Throwing your life away will only bring dishonor on the memories of those who died believing in you."

Her fingers curled into her palms on her legs. One by one the hands on her lifted and retracted to their hosts, each man walking out the room on their own and leaving her behind to fold in on herself, tears in her eyes and the echoing pain of emptiness in her chest. How many times would the space between her lungs ring with this hollowness?

How many more tragedies would she orchestrate by her mere existence?

The questions made her sink her teeth into her lip until she tasted blood, eyes squeezing closed and she curled into a ball on the bunk to settle into her guilt and grief while she had time to indulge before Yusuke realized he wasn't going to win this particular fight.

Koenma would never let her go, not now.

But Hiei's disgust made it easier for a coward like her to leave that discovery to be delivered by anyone but her. Let them exhaust themselves fighting for nothing.

They'd eventually come to realize the futility of it.

Of her.

And the first sob rolled from her chest and with it the dam gates broke open.

* * *

" _Be good."_

Shinpi dug her nails into her scalp, curled in on herself like a fern that had yet to unfurl. Teeth bared, she made herself as small as possible as she tried to control herself. Here, her energy was the distant hum of powerlines. The seals that had been unceremoniously slapped onto her did their job. Koenma's cautious heart did him a service in this act. If she'd been left untethered she would have surely killed them all without malice.

The storm inside her was not burdened with a sense of morality, it merely existed to rage. They were right to contain it, because clearly she could not.

" _You are good."_

 _I'm not. I'm really not._

She snarled at herself and it strangled into a sob, pulling from her chest by its own will. The force of it shook her but still, she refused to grow any larger.

" _No one blamed you."_

Her cry of rage and pain filled the cell Koenma had thrown her into, echoing off the warded walls the way the words echoed in her mind. Such a kind woman did not deserve to die so horribly. This curse would be the end of her, it was ravenous and ruinous and she was a harbinger of death to anyone kind enough to love her. It was better this way, alone. Better to be trapped in this flimsy prison than wandering the streets where she might endanger anyone around her.

Behind the glass, Hiei watched her with Kuwabara. Neither of them spoke as the woman shrank in on herself, collapsing like an imploding star. Her cries rang piteous and broken even through their small space.

"Why can't we go in there?" Kuwabara whispered, distraught. "She's suffering, man. Why won't they let us help her? They let us in before."

"She's a danger to herself and others." Hiei spoke on reflex, tone empty.

What a joke. After they'd filed out of the room half a day earlier, the SDF has shown up with a key and locked the door behind them. No one was to enter the room without the guards. Koenma's orders. And no one had.

Shinpi had spent the following twelve hours alone, a pitiful wailing creature, so small she almost seemed to be a lost child in the hold of monsters while the team was forced to look on, equally helpless to assist her.

"Do you really believe that?" The carrot top frowned.

Hiei hesitated to answer, then he looked over at his towering ally. "No. I don't. But Koenma does and he locked the door."

"Watching her is breaking my heart."

Hiei shuddered. Was that the sensation gripping his chest? This racking, disgusting, burdened sense of empathy that welled up each time Shinpi sobbed, turning his blood to ice and making it nearly impossible to keep from breaking the glass. Watching her suffer, alone, agonized him. Being with these fools for so many years had whittled down his emotional defenses. What a useless thing, empathy. What good did it do him in this moment?

What good was it doing _her_?

"Koenma's fear makes him a fool." Hiei responded to Kuwabara, covering for his own inner workings. "Shinpi is no more likely to kill us now than she was when we first met her."

A strangely double edged comment.

"You've really turned a corner when it comes to Hichi." Kuwabara noted, wincing when another guttural cry of pain heaved from Shinpi's chest.

Hiei watched the woman and wished she'd look at the glass like she had before. Glare at him through the panes, make him feel like she could see him when she couldn't. He wanted her to know they were there.

He could lift a hand and tap on the two-way mirror. Earn her attention.

But he knew better. Whatever she was suffering through, it was consuming her so entirely she wouldn't want their interference. She'd submitted to Kuwabara before, but didn't she deserve a moment with her grief? Koenma was truly a startled child if he found this woman to be a threat in this crisis. She mourned the loss of a human's life with such intensity she'd wrought wrath from the heavens themselves.

What fault could Spirit World find in such stark love for humanity?

But even as he tried to manipulate the situation in his mind, he knew he was only presenting half the facts. It wasn't her love for the old woman that bothered Koenma, but her uncontrollable outburst. They'd stood no chance against her when the dam on her power burst and that was the issue.

Mukuro's warning swam back to him and he shirked away from it.

"I just wish I could hug her, you know? Tell her it'll be okay." Kuwabara sagged against the wall and exhaled. "She's just _hurting_ so much."

"You're an idiot." Hiei snapped at him. "What about this will be okay? No amount of cajoling will bring the woman back from the dead."

"It'll get better." Kuwabara defended himself.

"Not to her." Hiei countered. "This is just more fuel for her suicidal fire. Another death to tally against her soul. Another failure to count before she dies. If you go in there with your ridiculous notions of hope she'll never forgive you."

* * *

Yusuke had his foot planted on Koenma's desk, leering over the grim faced toddler with a harsh glare. "I said let her go, Pampers."

"Yusuke." Kurama sighed the name, exhausted with this ongoing fight. "It's not working."

"I don't give a shit." Yusuke reared back and stomped on the desk. "Let her go!"

"You saw her." Koenma used the remote and a video played of Shinpi's fight. Her manipulation of the clouds and air, the tornado that fell on her enemies without mercy. The relentless beating she'd offered the leader of the demons who had come for the sword. "I can't let _that_ wander the streets."

"That." Yusuke pulled back a darkness stealing over his expression. " _That_. Isn't that how the SDF referred to me?"

"It's not the same." Koenma pressed his lips thin. "I was already nervous about this when Hiei vouched for her, Yusuke. Then we found out she'd killed her human father, a crime I righty shouldn't have let go. I only overlooked it as a favor to _you_ , but you're all out of wishes. My hands are tied."

"She was pissed ! She lost someone!" Yusuke bellowed. "For fuck sake, Koenma, _come on_."

Kuwabara had explained it to all of them, sitting in this office while Shinpi had been warded and locked away. That Sachiko had been killed, that Shinpi had tried to heal the woman's pain. Their small conversation and how broken it left his heart to hear, especially when he saw the tear roll over Shinpi's usually stoic cheek. And what followed was a manifestation of her anger and her heartbreak.

Because there was no denying this was the work of a broken heart.

"She saved us." Kurama posited. "She didn't have to, but she did. Before she went after the demons, she single handedly took out each of our opponents. Hiei said-"

"Hiei's intentions have obviously been compromised." Koenma stood up abruptly. "He allowed her to walk out of here knowing she was a murderer. I don't care what he says right now."

"She told him to keep us back." Kuwabara entered the room, sullen.

"Which proves presence of mind." Koenma shot back at him. "Why are you fighting so hard for her? You barely know her."

The room grew quiet.

"If we can get her on our side, she'll be a steadfast ally. Spirit World could use someone like her." Kurama commented quietly. "Imagine _that_ on the border."

Yusuke shot the fox a dirty look. But he merely shook his head, a shiver of crimson to still the argument.

"She's a healer too." Yusuke turned to Koenma.

And so the argument renewed.

…

Botan knelt, cautious, beside Shinpi's quivering form.

Did a demon that powerful have any right to look so incredibly small? Hiei hated the display of it.

"Please." Botan begged. "Your arm-"

"Let it rot." Shinpi refused to look up, head tucked into her hands as she remained in a ball. "Leave."

Botan didn't budge, but the three SDF agents all tensed at the command. Matsuma amongst them. Hiei sneered at the display, his palm resting against the hilt of his sword.

"I want to help you." Botan reached out, her hand resting against Shinpi's shoulder.

The immediate change alarmed everyone in the room. Shinpi stilled, one cold blue eye cutting toward Botan with pupil shrunk to a pinpoint. The air in the room felt imposing, suddenly, as if the whole room had knives pointed at the occupants.

"Put your goddamn knife away." Shinpi hissed the words.

Confusion danced over Botan's expression. Then she looked behind her to see one of the SDF members had drawn a blade, which trembled in her hand. The woman seemed pinned under Shinpi's gaze as the demoness bared her teeth, uncoiling.

"I said put it away!" Shinpi rose her voice. "Do you even know how to use that? Pulling a weapon when a noncombatant is present, you're a useless-"

The opening of her body allowed them all to glimpse the raw ruined flesh of Shinpi's upper arm. A hole through the muscle, blood fresh and old mingling with the scent of sickness. The appendage seemed useless at her side and all at once Hiei realized she hadn't been using it at all during the end of her fight. Botan took advantage and pushed her hand to the wound, cutting off Shinpi's words as soft light flowed.

Shinpi jerked away as if she'd been scalded, eyes wide. The SDF reacted, moving toward the demoness with weapons drawn. Botan squeaked, throwing herself over Shinpi's form. But it was Hiei that stopped them. The two women peered up at his back as he came between them and the guards. Hand off his sword, Hiei merely stood glaring and daring them to continue their path of assault.

"Get out." The fire demon growled. "You have no business in here. Trigger happy idiots."

"Move." Matsuma demanded.

"You move." Hiei snarled. "I'm not going to watch you beat a powerless, injured creature just because the merest excuse cropped up."

"All of you leave." Shinpi demanded, very carefully peeling Botan off of her with her good arm. Her voice lacked its usual authority. Mostly she just sounded tired. "I don't need any of you here."

"But your wound!" Botan fretted, flapping her hands uselessly. "It'll get infected."

"Good." Shinpi collapsed back in on herself, once again turning into a tightly curled ball.

Hiei watched over his shoulder, his teeth gritted together. When they all filed out of the room, Botan hanging back with Hiei near the door, he touched the arm of the SDF agent with the keys. The man pantomimed locking the door, then walked away and Hiei placed his hand on the handle.

"You aren't supposed to be in there." Botan whispered. "And you're definitely not allowed to manipulate the SDF with your Jagan, Hiei."

He raised an eyebrow, silence meeting her statements. Then she nodded, gripping the front of her kimono.

"Try to convince her to allow me to heal that arm. It's already starting to fester." Botan kept her voice quiet.

He nodded and ducked back into the room, in open defiance of Koenma's orders that no one be allowed inside without the SDF. Shinpi wasn't going to kill them. She didn't even seem to be capable of fighting at the moment.

"I have nothing to say to you." Shinpi spoke with a voice of ice.

Hiei knew this already. He looked her over, noting the way her dark hair fanned over her back and shoulder to keep her face hidden. Knees drawn up, pressing her crossed arms to her face. He didn't offer a rebuttal, instead having to convince himself he wasn't insane for trying to do this.

But Mukuro's stories had been irritating him for hours. Her not so cryptic warnings buzzing too loudly for him to ignore.

" _Death was truly the only mercy she had left."_

" _You must choose between being a villain to your friend to attempt to protect them or find yourself complicit in their destruction."_

There was a third option, one that would have never occurred to him even a handful of years ago. But it seemed the obvious, if not most treacherous, path.

Hiei stiffened before he dispelled the discomfort. This wasn't about him. A difficult thing to remember, but it had never been more true. Shinpi's constant burrs against his selfishness fueled him. Sitting on the lumpy mattress, he reached over and placed his palm on the crown of her head without a word. The world came to a point, all sound and movement beyond the two of them nonexistent.

Shinpi lifted her head, tearstained face peering up with such a wild look of incredulous awe that Hiei almost retracted from her. But he didn't. Instead, he smoothed his hand over her hair and then repeated the motion.

"What are you doing?" Shinpi swallowed a throat full of needles.

"You have to stop this crusade against yourself. You need more faith in the people who have faith in you." Hiei responded, anything but easily, laying his hand to rest on the top of her head again.

"You're petting me." She whispered hoarsely, confused.

Two months ago, she'd have laughed at his audacity.

"Shinpi, _it's going to eventually be alright._ " Hiei emphasized the sentiment, and watched her eyes grow glassy as the light died in them. He'd done what he'd warned Kuwabara not to do.

But Kuwabara was a warm presence in Shinpi's life and it was better if she chose not to forgive Hiei. He could absorb her ire. They already had such a tenuous relationship, her hating him more wouldn't make that much of a difference. But Kuwabara? Kurama? Yusuke? She needed them. They made her smile, laugh. So he could mutter these stupid, useless comforts and allow her to rage against him for it.

"She's gone, Hiei, she's dead. Because of me. Because of my curse-"

"I've told you already, you aren't cursed. You're an idiot, maybe, but your troubles aren't some divine punishment." Hiei argued with her. "The woman died because those demons killed her. Not because of you."

"Because of my sword." Her eyes began to mist. "Because she knew _me_."

"Shinpi, let me ask you." Hiei pulled his hand back and watched her eye him with heavy speculation. "Do want to feel this way?"

"What?" She stared at him.

"I'm asking if you want to endure this grief." Hiei repeated. "Because I can take it from you, if you don't want to carry it."

And the offer made her stare at him, her mouth falling open. Her eye scanned over his face and she rubbed at her eyes suddenly to clear them. Sniffling, she peeked at him and it seemed demure with her reddened face and trembling lips.

"I can manage it." Shinpi told him quietly.

"That's not what I asked. I asked if you wanted me to take it from you." Hiei pointed out quietly.

"What would you do? Take away the memory of her death leaving me to wonder where she went? Change it to losing her peacefully?" Shinpi wondered, sniffling again.

"If that's what you want."

"I don't."

Hiei's lips pulled to the side, the threat of a smile as she shifted to sitting beside him.

"If I don't remember I can't honor her, can I? I need this. I just… I'm so tired of killing the people I love." She turned her attention to her hands. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused all of you. I still believe it would be best if you left me to Spirit World."

"Tch. Coward." Hiei eyed her, but his tone lacked bite. "As if I'd hand you over now that I've finally seen what you're capable of."

"Ass." Shinpi frowned at her lap and then glanced at his hands. "I hope I never face you with that sort of rage."

"Me too." Hiei admitted, relaxing some. This conversation was easier. He noticed her glance at his hands again and it made him tip his head to the side. He waited for a moment, waiting to see if she'd ask. But she didn't.

So he lifted his hand and smoothed it over her hair again, an action that made her close her eyes and lean toward him just enough to make the motion easier. Neither of them spoke about it. When Hiei heard the others walking toward them he lowered his hand back to his lap and Shinpi opened her eyes, staring at the door.

"Yusuke went to bat for you." Hiei told her quietly. "Kurama too. They've been working to convince Koenma you're worth trusting."

"Insanity."

"If they can trust a thieving murderer hellbent on destroying humanity, they can trust a woman who can't help how deeply she loves." Hiei remarked, rising to his feet and walking toward the door. He left before the others arrived.

"Sorry for leaving you here all alone." Yusuke pushed open the door and came in, immediately moving to sit beside Shinpi. Kuwabara posted on her other side, arm around her shoulders. "I heard Botan tried to help out but you told her to leave."

Shinpi's face spasmed into a frown, confusion creasing her the skin between her brows when Hiei appeared beside Kurama, reentering the room. He stared at her and then Urameshi, and she all at once understood.

"I'm not worth Botan's energy." She spoke quietly, looking away from Hiei. "I've come to terms with Koenma's wishes. I understand that I presented myself as a danger. Whatever comes next, I'm prepared to accept in the fullest."

"You're going home." Yusuke told her with a grin, but even to her it seemed forced. "After a little cooling off period, that is. I told Koenma to shove his punishment up his ass. You're a member of the team and we're not leaving without you."

"Surely the threat of your constant badgering is what got him to see your point." Shinpi attempted to joke, but her voice lacked any inflection. "I wish you hadn't."

"I know." He slipped his arm around her and pulled her close and the action made her close her eyes as Kuwabara pressed against her from one side and Yusuke the other.

When was the last time someone had held her like this? She accepted the contact, glad for it. It had been so long since anyone but Yukina had thrown their arms around her. Touch starved, that's how one of her psychology professors described this feeling. She missed her family, suddenly, and the intensity of the emotion that echoed in her chest sent her crawling back from both men with a look of fear. That's right.

That's why she hadn't allowed herself to be coddled.

As much as she wished she could remain between the two of them for a while longer, at ease with the warmth of their bodies, she couldn't stand the memories. Not now.

Everyone stared at her.

"Sorry. I should've asked." Yusuke lowered his hands to his lap, dejected.

"Don't be sorry." Shinpi spoke, then swallowed and tried to soften her suddenly jagged edges. "You did nothing wrong. Thank you, actually. Touch brings me great comfort but I simply, I can't-"

"It's alright." Kurama raised a hand to cut her off, crouching down to offer her a smile. "You don't owe us an explanation."

But she did.

Because she wanted them to know that it wasn't their fault she was this way. It was just…who she was now. If they'd met her before her fall, she'd have relished in their embrace, taken great comfort in it. Hell, she'd have trapped them in a hug herself. But that was when she had a pack, when she was allowed to be consoled.

"One day." She promised instead, so tired of feeling suddenly.

"One day." Kurama agreed softly, and he dared to place a hand on the mattress by her leg.

With great reservation, Shinpi looked at his hand and then covered it with her own, her fingertips pressing into the skin on the back of his hand. It was a small gesture, but one of the largest she could offer right now.

* * *

There was no way to postpone the conversation. Hiei had hoped to debrief his team in a more ideal location, not here in Spirit World, and possibly over food. But it had to happen now.

"Mukuro turned Shinpi away because she was afraid that if she aided her, she'd have had to kill her. She finds Shinpi to be unstoppable in moments like what we witnessed." Hiei vocalized with a scowl. "It was heavily implied I needed to be prepared to end her life if she got out of control."

"Fuck Mukuro. Shinpi is good people. She just needs us to remind her." Yusuke crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not arguing that." Hiei glared, already on the defensive. "But it's going to take more than words to prove we have her back, that she can be better. We have to do to Shinpi what you idiots did to me. The impossible."

"Getting through her walls won't be easy. She'll likely sniff out our intent early on. It's possible she'll believe we're manipulating her." Kurama voiced, frowning.

"Then let's use her relentless logic against her." Hiei smirked.

"Make it impossible to deny we're on her side." Kuwabara nodding, understanding.

"She won't make it easy. She's going to push us." Kurama pointed out. "We have to be prepared for not just her temper but her guilt."

"Easy or not, it's what we gotta do." Yusuke let his hands fall to his hips. "Shinpi is one of us, whether she believes that or not. Our job now is to show her what that means."


	18. Night Terrors

**A/N: the song Shinpi sings at the end is 'I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Miserables. I imagine it in a similar fashion to Anne Hathaway's portrayal, rife with emotion.**

 **Next chapter is from Hiei's POV and I'm pretty excited about it. I feel like this one sort of marks the end of this initial arc in the story, and the next several chapters will move into Shinpi actually bonding with the guys and growing to be a member of the team, then the section after that will be the 'tournament' arc and will lead to the ending.**

* * *

Shinpi glowered, seething as Hiei waltzed into her house like a second shadow, hot on her heels. It was nearly two in the morning, she was beyond exhausted, and quite frankly, did not have time for this. Once again her fate had been decided without her. Once again she was on the receiving end of Hiei's so-called guardianship.

At least at the temple she'd had space to avoid him.

How would she accomplish that in her small home?

"If I'd known I was having company I'd have arranged the second room." Shinpi spoke in stiff tones and curt pauses. "I'll find linens for the bed."

"I'll sleep on the couch." Hiei glanced at her, completely aware of her misgivings. "Don't strain yourself."

She stared at him, lips pressed into a line, and then nodded before looking around the hall they stood in. "Bedrooms are on the second floor. As is the full bath. This is a half-bath and has the laundry machines."

She gestured to a door on her right.

"You're free to eat what you want in the kitchen. Try to keep the noise down. I have a final tomorrow." She made her way to the stairs and Hiei tipped his head to the side, watching her flee.

Very suddenly he was alone, free to wander the bottom floor unabated. Keep it down? He wasn't Yusuke. He wasn't about to start playing those infernal video games or shouting at some sports match on the television. He made his way into the living room and checked the sliding glass back door to make sure it was locked before closing the blinds. Settling onto the couch, he propped his legs up and considered the events of the last two days.

Shinpi had been kept in Spirit World for nearly forty-eight hours, mainly to be sure she wasn't a threat to anyone else. Not once since they'd told her she'd be released had she made a move to comment on Hiei's odd behavior. He was relieved, honestly. The moment of compassion was the last thing he wanted thrown back at him right now.

Her frustration at finding out she'd be guarded round the clock had seemed dim compared to the outrage he'd anticipated. They'd all expected more pushback from her, actually. Her annoyed compliance bothered Kurama the most, the fox wasn't able to make heads or tails of why she made such a minor fuss.

Hiei guessed once she rested she'd tell them what she really thought.

* * *

The scream jerked Hiei from his sleep and he threw open Shinpi's door with a loud enough sound that she launched from sleep with sweat dripping down her temples. Panting, she stared at him, eyes distant as if she weren't seeing him at all.

Hiei looked around the room. Nothing was disturbed except the woman herself.

"A bad dream." She explained and then laid herself back against her pillows, pulling one to her chest as her eyes fluttered closed. "Just a dream."

He was left to cool the sudden rush of blood through his veins on his own. Quiet crept in again and he frowned, leaving the door open as he made his way back down the stairs to the couch.

* * *

Shinpi pursed her lips before clicking her tongue. Arm in a sling, bandage winding around her wound, she huffed a sigh of indignation at Hiei's attire. "You don't have to come."

"We told you, one of us will be with you at all times." Hiei remarked, tilting his head to the side.

"Another conversation for another day." Shinpi agreed, scowling. "But Kurama is at the university. I don't need two of you to keep me in line."

"Hn." Hiei shrugged, slipping on his boots. "I'll pass you off to Kurama then."

Shinpi tensed. "I don't need a babysitter."

"I agree."

"Then stop this ridiculous act." She gestured to him, to encompass his jeans and tee, his plainly human clothing. Kurama had dropped off a duffle bag two days before filled with Hiei's possessions. His whetstones, his cloak, and the entirety of his human wardrobe.

"You'd prefer if I ran around your campus in my regular clothes?" Hiei mused, smirking because he knew this wasn't the point at all. "Sword and all?"

But this was the first time Shinpi had protested his presence, really, and it felt like she might be shaking off the miasma of grief that had enshrouded her. She was finally coming back to herself. If annoying her cut through the haze, then annoy her he would.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't run around my campus at all." She complained, running her left hand through her bangs.

"Me too."

"Then don't?"

"Not an option."

A long suffering sigh answered him, birthing a true smirk from him. "You just said-"

"You're injured. You can't be wandering around without protection if armies are going to crop up looking for you." Hiei pointed out.

She frowned, then glared at him.

"So, if I heal…"

"I'll still be here because you shouldn't have to face armies alone." Hiei pulled open the door and breezed out of the house. "You're going to be late, Shinpi."

She watched him walk away for a moment then slid her shoes on, hating them. But it was a presentation and the professor had been very clear she had to wear business attire. So she walked out of the house with the heels on, complimenting her pencil skirt and blouse. Hiei carried her messenger bag without complaint, but he eyed her shoes with clear distaste.

"How are you supposed to run in those?" He demanded.

"It's for a class. I just have to get through that then I can change back into pants and tennis shoes." She heaved another sigh. "It's my first class of the day."

"What possible subject could you be studying to require such impractical shoes?" Hiei griped. "If you get caught in those, it won't be my fault."

"I can always just stab my assailant with the heel." She flashed a grin, but it died quickly. "I'm presenting my paper on the increasing rate of anxiety disorders in school age children so I have to dress professionally."

"Tch. Professionals can't wear practical shoes?" Hiei rolled his eyes.

"I didn't have time to buy flats, what with being imprisoned and all."

* * *

Just like the last two days, Hiei didn't actually pass Shinpi off to anyone. Kurama only shared a single class with her and it wasn't until that afternoon. So Hiei lingered at the back of the lecture hall, hovering by the door looking thoroughly out of place as Shinpi wove her psychological theories to her audience. It was the third presentation he'd heard her offer in two days and he had to admit, she was good at talking.

When she spoke it was with a collected authority that held the audience in rapt attention. Passion laced her words, emphatic as she made her points, but it wasn't the overwhelming rhetoric of crazed zealots. More the adamant speech one would expect from a leader imploring their citizens to take action. To ease the worries of the listeners. She spoke like all the trust in the world could be placed on her shoulders and she would never disappoint those that held her aloft.

Hiei narrowed his eyes as the middle aged woman grading Shinpi grabbed the woman's arm and pulled her to the side. They held a quiet conversation and Hiei watched as humor danced through Shinpi's cobalt eyes, lighting them and pulling at her lips for the first time in days. She shot him a look and then shook her head. The other woman looked over too, frowned, and then nodded.

"What was that about?" Hiei demanded, glaring when she finally joined him.

"She wanted to ask if I was in trouble. It seems you look like a thug." Shinpi chuckled and the sound made Hiei glance at her.

She hadn't really smiled at anything in days. It was almost refreshing to hear amusement ringing in her tone.

"Idiot." Hiei huffed. "What did you tell her?"

"That you're a private investigator that I've established a working relationship with." Shinpi seemed thoroughly amused by this idea. "We're looking for the scoundrels who mugged me and injured my arm."

Hiei smirked at that. "I'm sure if I wander the city I'll still find pieces of them lying about."

Shinpi laughed, and his smirk grew.

"A lot of the girls have been asking about you, actually." Shinpi's tone turned teasing. "They think you're _handsome_."

"Humans will never cease to confound me." Hiei let his head fall back. "Pining after demons, do they have no sense of self-preservation?"

"Please, be a bit louder." Shinpi nudged him with her arm and he raised his eyebrows as he righted his head. "You aren't complimented, not even a little?"

"Absolutely not. I don't care if these fools find me attractive." Hiei snorted. "Do you enjoy their petty affections?"

"What are you talking about?"

Hiei rolled his eyes and didn't answer her. If she didn't notice the constant barrage of gazes on her, he wouldn't bother her over it. He could feel her staring at the side of his face. Shooting her a cold glare, she glared back and turned away.

* * *

"Hiei?" Shinpi frowned and glanced at the demon while he perused the cafeteria's options. Then she turned her attention back to the man in front of her.

"Yeah, he's been around you all the time." The man waved a hand.

"No, we aren't romantic. We have a professional relationship." Shinpi remarked easily.

"Oh, I see. I sort of figured, since most guys might not appreciate how to treat you. You know, since you aren't like other girls."

Hiei glanced toward their table, attention drawn by movement. He watched Shinpi shift, her expression and body language becoming focused and predatory. The slight tilt of her mouth not meant to be friendly but a challenge. And the hapless fool caught in her sight seemed none the wiser. Instead, he smiled back at her. Hiei crept closer, not wishing to interrupt, but not wanting to miss whatever this was.

"How?" Shinpi crossed her legs at the knees and the intrusive human man followed the movement with a hungry gaze. When she leaned forward, chin cupped in her palm, his eyes moved up to her chest, the v-cut of her shirt revealing some skin normally hidden.

"How?" He repeated the question dully.

Hiei stayed out of sight, but watched, thoroughly amused. He crossed his arms over his chest, in no hurry to continue prowling for food. He wanted to watch this play out.

"How am I different from other women? I'd like a list." She told the man, tilting her head.

"Oh, uh-"

She waited patiently. Her curious stare seemed to glue his tongue into place.

"You're, uh, just different."

The pathetic response birthed a heavy sigh from her as she leaned back in her hair, draping her left arm over the back. Her gaze never lifted from him, though. Those cobalt eyes sharper than knives as they pinned him into place. With the slightest nod to the side from her, he got up and walked away.

"Enjoying the show?" She didn't need to look at Hiei to know he was watching.

He took over the now empty chair across from her. Leaning back, he assessed her with a smirk. That answered his earlier question of whether or not she appreciated the attention of these mindless idiots.

"Are you disappointed he couldn't answer your question?" Hiei asked her. "You should be more gentle with them. It's hard for weak men to respond to a woman who so completely intimidates them with a single look."

"A request of mercy? From you?" She grinned at that, revealing her canine on the left side. "How unusually philanthropic of you."

"I enjoy watching you shoot these idiots down. I'd just like for it to last longer." Hiei explained.

"Ah, so not a call for mercy but to prolong the suffering. _That_ is more like you."

"You dodged my question. Are you disappointed he couldn't answer you?" Hiei tipped his head to the side, curiosity ringing clear in his eyes.

"It's not worth answering." Shinpi leaned forward, offering him a smile that revealed teeth in a less friendly way. "I don't need a man to list the reasons I'm amazing. I just need him to know them."

"So if he had told you that you were the most powerful creature in this wretched place, you wouldn't have been flattered?" Hiei's casual tone didn't merge with his wicked grin.

"That does play to my vanity, sure, but how would he know? It's an empty compliment from someone whose opinion I don't want." She waved her hand loosely through the air.

"Should it matter whose mouth speaks the truth?" Hiei asked and watched some color enter her cheeks as he watched her process his question. She shot him a look, mostly suspicious.

"It matters to me." Shinpi informed him, averting her eyes.

* * *

"Shinpi, wake up." Hiei grabbed the woman by the arms and revealed himself a fool.

She came up all teeth and nails, her clawed hand catching him by the throat, biting through the skin. Hiei's eyes widened as she spun them, snarling into his face as she pinned him to her bed by straddling his torso. Her teeth glinted in the low light from the hall, her eyes empty of recognition. All at once she withdrew, her back hitting the dresser as she lifted her left hand to cover her mouth. Shaking, she stared, unable to look away as Hiei sat up slowly.

He reached a hand up to his neck, noting the blood on his fingertips when he pulled them away. Swallowing birthed a bruising ache in his throat.

"You were screaming in your sleep again." He informed her, the instinct to retaliate only barely kept at bay. "You've done it every night this week."

"Nightmares." She whispered.

"No, not nightmares. These are worse." Hiei glared at her, thankful she'd had the presence of mind to back off because he wanted to make _her_ bleed right now.

"Are you okay?" She shrank again, he watched her grow smaller.

He didn't answer her, jaw locked.

"I'm going to come over." Shinpi kept her placating voice quiet. A mistake, as Hiei demonstrated by raising his voice.

"Don't treat me like _I'm_ the skittish fucking animal here!"

She flinched, stopping three steps from him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He snapped at her. "Do you always attempt to kill people in your sleep?"

"They get worse when I'm stressed." Shinpi swallowed, not meeting his eyes. "May I approach?"

Her asking him only aggravated him further but he tossed a sharp yes toward her. Tentatively she walked over to him, and with measured control, she gently pressed her fingertips to the flesh of his throat. Swallowing, eying his face and receiving a glare but not a snarl, she allowed her energy to come to the surface.

Soft green light highlighted the wounds, and in the process her apologetic expression. Hiei grabbed her wrist, jerking her hand away from him but not releasing her.

"If you have the energy to heal me why is your arm still in that sling?" Hiei demanded.

"It doesn't work that way." She told him quietly. "I'm not done. Release me."

He stared at her then let her go. She went back to her task quietly.

"I haven't been able to use my powers to heal myself since my parents died."

Hiei squinted at her. "Why?"

"Because I can't heal someone I loathe." She responded easily.

He watched the light flicker to nothing, the clean scent of her energy filling the room even as she holstered it. "What are the dreams about, Shinpi?"

She sighed and shook her head. "It's not important. I'll find a way not to disturb you. Perhaps, though, you avoid shaking me awake if you have to deal with me."

"You hate being touched more than I do." Hiei tossed out the offhand comment and it earned a quizzical head tilt.

"Not at all." Shinpi frowned at him. "I don't hate being touched. I simply get overwhelmed."

"Go back to sleep." Hiei got off her bed and walked toward the door. "You need to gather your strength."

* * *

"Oh dear, I had hoped they wouldn't get worse." Yukina sighed on the other side of the phone. "Losing Miss Momozono hurt her deeply. And with finals…."

"You knew?" Hiei asked, frowning into the phone. He hated using the stupid contraption, and he hated asking for help even more. But he was certain Yukina would have the answer and he couldn't just abandon Shinpi to run to the shrine. Her study date at Kurama's home would only last so long.

"Of course I did. I've known Hichi for years, Hiei."

"She told you?"

"No. I happened to witness one for myself. It took a long time for her to allow me to help her." Yukina made a noise. "I'm surprised she healed you though. That's a good sign."

"All that proves is that she doesn't outright hate me." Hiei pointed out. "How did you get the nightmares to stop?"

"Oh, well." She hedged, obviously trying to find a way to ease into the answer. "I'm not sure you'll be able to help her, Hiei. Like I said, it took a long time for me to find the answer. And she'll never ask for help. She's stubborn that way."

"You're avoiding telling me." Hiei pointed out dryly. "I'll force it out of her if I have to."

"That won't work and you know it."

Silence fell between them because he did know it, but he'd been hoping Yukina wouldn't call him on it. But it seemed his plan worked anyway.

"She sleeps better when she's with someone." Yukina told him, hesitant. "They'll get less frequent as her stress alleviates, but in times like this I've generally found an excuse to sleep with her. It helps."

Hiei stared at the wall, blinking. "You…sleep with her?"

"Sometimes." Yukina allowed cautiously.

"I thought you were with the oaf." Hiei muttered, surprised by the wave of curious disappointment that washed over him. "I suppose you two are a decent enough fit for each other and it makes sense of her desire to protect you."

Another pregnant pause and then a genuine, tinkling laugh. He grit his teeth together.

"Shinpi and I are not sexual partners, Hiei. I simply meant we sleep in the same bed from time to time. Like sisters." Yukina continued to giggle.

And there she was throwing out familial terms again. He huffed against the mouthpiece, glaring a hole into the wall.

"She would never ask you to make yourself uncomfortable, Hiei. She grew up in a family that was very close. It was nothing for her to share her bed with her siblings or friends. Physical affection was a mode of communication for her. She told me it even facilitated the healing process, but she's not in the habit of seeking it out." Yukina let her laughter ebb away, but her voice remained humored.

"She said something along those lines last night. That she gets overwhelmed." Hiei narrowed his eyes and craned his head back. "Hn. I'll see what I can do."

"Tell Hichi that I hope she's well, please. I'm worried about her."

"I'll pass the message along."

* * *

Hiei knew Shinpi had fallen asleep because she'd finally turned out the lamp in her room, the light no longer coming from under the door. She ran like clockwork, this woman, staving off sleep until the last second. Pushing open her door, he went in to check on her before the night terrors started. Being in her room this way felt invasive, but he wasn't sure what else he was meant to do. He'd agreed with the others that they had to _show_ Shinpi they'd have her back. That they could support her in any situation.

Even this one.

So when Shinpi's face scrunched in her sleep he didn't jostle her awake. Honestly, his throat hurt just from the memory of her nails. Instead, he inhaled and sat on the bed slowly. So irritatingly slow. Shinpi snarled in her sleep, head tossing to the side and he placed his hand over one of hers. Her nails bit into the back of his hand, but he didn't pull back.

"You're safe, you damn fool." Hiei muttered to her, as quietly as he could and after a moment, her nails relented. But her grip on his hand remained.

Her breathing hitched and he frowned, slowly pulling his hand back so he could crawl to the empty side of the bed and post himself there. It allowed him to see her face, placing a hand on her head as she bared her teeth again. Yukina slept next to this? That woman was made of stronger will than he gave her credit for.

"Don't touch me." Shinpi growled in her sleep and he withdrew. Another rumble spilled from her chest and he rested his head against her headboard.

What was he even trying to do?

He wasn't like Yukina. He didn't have that aura of comfort she mustered in these moments. Her soothing, cool touch probably eased Shinpi into sleep in seconds. But he only agitated her even when she was unconscious.

This had been a mistake.

Shinpi rolled, her hand finding his leg and balling in the material of his pants. Hiei glared at her, almost snapping at her to wake up already when he saw it.

The creases in her expression smoothed out as she pressed her head against his thigh, inhaling deeply. All at once the tension in her body eased away, leaving her to breath steady breaths as she fell into a more peaceful sleep.

"Hiei." She whispered his name with so much familiarity and comfort that he felt color rising in his face. Her lips quirked into a smile and she wrapped her arms around his leg, cuddling against him. "Hiei…"

If he'd been uncomfortable before, he was stricken now. Every muscle taut with unease as the woman happily inhaled his scent. She didn't move again for a long time. Hiei knew because he couldn't do anything _but_ watch her sleep. He catalogued her strange, complacent smile. The peace on her face revealing something he'd never noticed, some warmth to her features that she'd hidden under practiced masks. Eventually, his muscles relaxed. He was able to shift slightly without waking her. Craning his head back against the headboard again, he made himself believe he was comfortable enough to sleep.

He wasn't.

But he managed.

"Hiei?" Shinpi woke him at some point before dawn, sounding entirely unsure of his existence. "What are you doing here?"

"Your night terrors kept me awake. When I sat beside you to tell you to shut up you grabbed me. Then you relaxed, so I stayed." Hiei muttered, pinching his eyes closed.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No." But despite his attempt to pretend he could sleep in the same awkward position, his neck twinged and he grimaced. "If you're awake I'm going to back to my room."

She nodded as he peered at her, and he popped his neck as he slid off her bed and headed for the room across the hall that she'd set up for him on his second day. Shinpi watched him go, confused but a little relieved. She hadn't slept that well in weeks. But even then, she didn't dare bring it up to him. Not right then and not over breakfast.

And Hiei seemed all the happier for her not bringing it up at all.

* * *

Exhausted, Hiei groused the entire trip to the campus. How many of these damn classes did Shinpi have anyway? He was sure they'd gone every day this week and wasted time here. Between the tests that took hours to complete and the presentations, he wasn't sure what could possibly be left for her to do.

And he was getting sick of being stared at. Girls would giggle and look away when he cut a glare toward them, or blush and duck their heads. Men would glare back and roll their eyes. The professors all cast him dubious glances of concern. He hated everyone here at the moment. This was last day, and then they could go back to Genkai's.

Maybe he should've asked Kurama to take over today.

Instead, he closed his eyes and rested for a moment in one of the auditorium chairs. He wouldn't fall asleep but the darkness behind his eyelids would be better than the glaring spotlights highlighting the stage. He chose to remain at the back of the room, where it seemed darkest.

He tried to ignore the mishmash of music that filled the space, one right after the other, tempos and melodies jarringly different from one another. Fast, slow, minimal and complex.

His eyes snapped open and he jerked forward when he heard Shinpi's voice, pleading, emotional and full of pain. The bow in her hand strained against the strings of the violin in her grasp the notes embellishing her powerful voice. The lights fixed her into place, displaying the tears in her eyes for the world to see. She wasn't able to hide in the beams, every nuanced and fleeting expression plain as day. Hiei found himself on his feet, weaving between the seats until he stood amongst the professor and students in the front row.

Her arm shook under the strain of use, the bandage still wound around her bicep where she'd been stabbed through nearly a week before. But her music never faltered. The sling rested around her, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

He looked around, noting all eyes were transfixed on the woman bleeding her soul out on stage.

Her body moved with the swell of the music, with the emotion in her voice. Through the lights, through the thick pain in her eyes, she found him. And Hiei swallowed under the weight of the confession she was offering. The vulnerability she was allowing herself to display chafed him raw. He wanted to pull her from the harsh scrutiny of the lights. He wanted these feeble creatures to avert their awestruck gazes, wanted yell for them to have some decency.

But the violin fell from her shoulder and the music stopped as her voice's last vestiges wavered to nothing and the room fell to silence in the wake of it.

Shinpi raised her chin, inhaled and exhaled slowly, then she curtsied into a bow, and the light went out.


	19. Old Habits

**A/N: This chapter is in Hiei's POV. Just a warning loves. I've been waiting to post this for literal weeks because to me it symbolizes the shift in Shinpi's interactions not just with Hiei (but especially with Hiei) but will the whole team.**

* * *

Instantaneous annoyance hit me when I walked over the temple grounds to the front door. The old woman and Yukina were nowhere to be found, and yet, Shinpi's aura shone like a damn beacon. We had all agreed to watch over her. What possible reason did they have to leave her alone? Her arm had only just healed and that had only come to pass because of Yukina's adamant interference.

What if she'd been attacked? What if she'd done the attacking? Did they lack common sense or just have that much faith?

I was surrounded by trusting fools.

Fools I apparently couldn't leave alone for even a few hours. I had only needed to meet with Kurama. I had figured the temple would be the perfect in which to deposit Shinpi for that short time. We were already staying here a time to facilitate training.

Why had they left her alone? What mess was I going to have to clean up because of this?

She was easy enough to find, tucked away in the kitchen. I came in ready to berate her for whatever verbal sorcery she'd used to convince the others to leave her alone. I stopped and swallowed the words poised on the tip of my tongue, toeing the line of the kitchen without actually crossing into it.

Shinpi swayed, the neck of the bottle loosely gripped in her fist as she moved to the music, amber liquid inside sloshing gently with her movements. This rhythm was slow and I bothered my stomach lining the same way the song she'd sung a few days prior had.

We hadn't talked about it.

We hadn't talked about anything I'd done or witnessed in the last week and a half, actually. Shinpi studiously avoided any topic revolving around music or sleep. All for the best, in my opinion. As little as I wanted Shinpi to crawl off and die, I wanted the ridicule or moronic notions of our allies less. At the first hint I'd been in Shinpi's bed or had an _emotion_ of any kind, Yusuke would pounce and I'd probably have to beat him into a coma.

So, our mutual silence was for the best.

Shinpi had no idea I was there, that much was certain the moment she didn't greet me with a barbed comment or a leer. How much had she drunk? I eyed the bottle but didn't vocalize the question. I had my answer, in a way. She'd had enough not to notice me.

A concerning notion, if I were being forced to admit it. This woman had gone through pains to keep herself acutely aware of her surroundings the entirety of the time she'd been under my care. Even before that, from her memories, I got the impression she never quite stopped searching her environment for danger. A lesser being would have called her paranoid. I knew better. She was on guard and for good reason, always. Yet, here she was, drunkenly singing to herself with her eyes closed and her senses so dull she couldn't tell an S-class demon lurked mere feet away.

I didn't conceal myself, but I didn't go out of my way to make myself known either.

Call me curious, I wanted to know what she did when I wasn't around.

Who was Shinpi when she wasn't seething at my mere presence?

I didn't really expect an accurate answer, given her state. But when else would I get the chance to watch her with her knowing it? Even with the Jagan she'd reacted, knowing eyes were on her. For once I had the upper hand on Shinpi and I intended to use it to my fullest advantage.

I couldn't understand the music pouring from the speakers or her mouth. More of the same gibberish she'd been indoctrinated into in her memories of foreign faces and dusty deserts. The tempo was slow, as were her movements, and the way she sang the songs gave the impression of feelings that went deeper than I wanted to explore.

Maybe I shouldn't have been watching. Even I could tell this was a moment of cleansing, obtuse as I was often accused of being.

I stayed.

Shinpi took a long drink from the bottle, mid-song, and heaved a burdened sigh afterward. Something about the action caused her eye to flash over her shoulder and I knew without a doubt she'd finally noticed me because she fell into that predatory stillness that seemed more instinctual than mindful. I stared back, not bothering to mutter excuses or ask questions as the others might've done.

She looked away and took another hit from the bottle, turning her back to me.

Either the alcohol had her by the brain or she no longer considered me a threat. Either way, a concerning notion.

"Genkai said you were gone." Shinpi's voice lacked any of the usual bitterness or authority. The music continued to play, the slow beat catching her hips even as she tried to remain still. "I thought I'd be alone."

"Are you always drunk when you're alone?"

My sharp question forced the air from her lungs, her head turning as far away from me as possible. Even as drunk as she was, she still found the energy to get annoyed with me.

"I have my lapses." She admitted finally, resentful and tired as she turned to face me. "What do you care? This would be the best time for you to finally get your fucking victory."

The profanity caught me off guard. Shinpi swore, I knew this, but I couldn't remember ever hearing her say fuck so casually. That was Yusuke's level of vernacular. Shinpi was more likely to throw out flowery prose and scalding comparisons than vulgar four letter words. Then I realized she'd said this was a lapse. I'd never seen Shinpi drink and her memories hadn't hinted at an addiction.

A vestige of her _before_ self then, as she liked to think of it.

"So?" She demanded and blue eyes narrowed as she faced me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared back at her. "So what?"

"Are you going to fight me?"

"No."

"Then what are you good for?" She rolled those same cobalt eyes. "Isn't that the thing everyone seeks you out for? The one who can beat sense back into them? It's not like you're the shoulder to cry on."

I remained silent, searching her over for a reason for her sudden demands. Shinpi never _wanted_ to fight me. It was something she did to shut me up. Or in the instance of our first spar, to shut up Yukina and Kurama.

"Answer me. What else are you good for if you won't fight me?" She demanded again. This time her voice sounded nearly pleading, despite the cool tone. Desperation tainted the edges of her words, fraying them slightly.

Again I didn't answer her. Again she stared at me, nostrils flaring, and her entire posture seemed to collapse in on itself. Her shoulders falling, her eyelids coming down heavy, and she looked away from me. Without a word she raised the bottle back to her lips.

I could've accepted her challenge. Maybe I should've. When else would she so openly throw herself at my mercy? I couldn't imagine her sober and near-begging me to throw down against her. But I didn't want to fight her this way. The whole point was to beat her at her best _after_ I made brought her to her peak. I couldn't fathom her being the sort of demon to draw power from whiskey the way Chu seemed to. This would be a worse imitation than what I normally dealt with from her.

I still struggled to understand what she was trying to get out of the experience.

"Tch." Shinpi sneered, rolling her eyes and the action seemed to make her dizzy as she noticeably stumbled to the side. Catching herself against the kitchen table she squeezed her lids closed. Swallowing, she didn't look at me again. "Fuck you, Hiei. You don't know anything."

I tilted my head, not sure what I'd done to earn that particular comment.

"You don't _understand_ anything." She glared away from me, seemingly determined not to look at me anymore. Another song started and she took another swig from the bottle before launching herself into it, eyes closing once more as she leaned against the table.

Even as far gone as she was, she had a decent voice.

"What's your problem?" I stepped toward her and this time she cut her gaze to me, and I got the impression if I made another move she wouldn't hesitate to come at me. Where was this fervor when I tried to pry it out before? "I didn't say anything to you."

"You don't have to speak. I can hear what you don't say." Shinpi hissed at me, sneering again.

"And what is that?"

"It's written on your face." She looked away again, her grip on the bottle tightening.

"What is?"

"Your disgust. You think I'm pathetic. You don't understand shit about me." Her voice trailed off, growing quiet. "I don't know why it matters."

"I don't either. Normally my opinion means less to you than a bug's." I rolled my eyes.

"I know I'm pathetic, you know. I know what I must look like to someone like you. Someone who has never _known_." She continued as if I hadn't spoken, lost to her own thoughts.

I cut my gaze to her face and shut my mouth on the words forming. Unshed tears threatened to spill over her bottom lashes, her expression nothing short of frustrated pain. Her pain bothered me and I wondered if now was the time to address Mukuro's statements. Was the source of her pain her lost child?

Did mothers always mourn this profoundly?

I dared another step and when she didn't look at me, I walked all the way to her and pulled the bottle from her unresisting fingers. She merely glanced at me as if she'd expected I'd take it from her sooner or later. Maybe someone else had trained her to expect being babysat when she entered these moods.

Someone from _before_.

Instead, I raised the mouth of the bottle to my lips and held her eyes with my own as I swallowed a hearty portion myself. Cobalt eyes widened, her mouth forming an unspoken 'o', as she watched me. I placed the bottle on the table between us and perched myself on the surface, my feet planted on the seat of the chair I had to pull out to make the action feasible.

I didn't speak to her, didn't ask any more questions. For a while we drank in silence, each of us taking sips from the bottle and setting it on the table between us instead of handing it off like true comrades might. The only sound the glass scraping against the wood and our quiet breathing.

I'd once gotten drunk with Yusuke and we'd practically been woven together as we shared the bottle of whatever grain alcohol he'd presented me with that night. Arms thrown over each other's shoulders, we ended falling asleep in a tangled mess. He hadn't let me live that down for nearly a full year. I avoided drinking excessively around him after that. With Shinpi I not only allowed for space but enforced it, sliding the bottle toward her once I had my fill after each of my turns and she allowed me the same curtesy.

Maybe that space is part of why her words hit me so hard.

"I died today."

Blinking, a little bleary, I glanced over at the woman who'd spent the last half-hour silently drowning herself in alcohol at my side. It took me a moment to process her words. Her teeth caught her bottom lip, worrying at it absently.

"Stop that." I scolded her, glaring, trying not to focus too heavily and what she'd said.

She listened, releasing her lip with a startled glance toward me. A light flush crept through her cheeks and I had the mindless appreciation that the extra color looked decent enough on her. It was after that hazy thought passed that I fully digested her words.

"You died today." I repeated, and she nodded slowly, tentative suddenly. I raised my eyebrows, frowned, and grabbed the bottle. "I suppose that _is_ a reason to celebrate."

She hit me without thinking about it. Not an actual strike, but that sort of useless gesture people did with those they were comfortable with. The back of her hand slapped against the front of my shoulder, her glare falling short of ruthless.

"You're such an ass." She huffed.

"I hadn't realized you remembered the day you died." I shrugged, downing a burning throat full of liquor before rolling the bottle between my palms for something else to focus my attention on.

"I remember everything."

I stared at the amber liquid as it moved in the clear confines of the glass that housed it. I didn't really want to consider Shinpi remembering her death. It made sense. Yusuke remembered both of his. Kurama remembered his. Hell, even I could recall my close call in Mukuro's training room. It made sense for Shinpi to remember.

I just didn't want her to.

And I didn't know why I didn't want her to. I just didn't.

"It hurt." She made a face that I only glimpsed because her words caught me so off guard I couldn't help but look at her. "I didn't really think about it beforehand. I'd been in countless fights and battles. I'd been harboring a broken heart for so many years that I thought I knew pain, but when Hiro's hand cut through my chest, it _hurt_."

We fell into silence, mostly because I couldn't reasonably follow up that sort of comment. She couldn't possibly expect me to either. How was I supposed to respond? Saying sorry? Fat chance, woman. Tell her she'd had it coming? I couldn't do that either. Silence was my only option, so I filled it by drinking more.

"You know, you're the first person I've admitted that to." Shinpi turned to look at me and I shouldn't have faced her.

When she smiled all I could do was look at her mouth and realize that her lips were fuller than I'd ever noticed before.

I didn't drink often. I especially didn't get _drunk_. There were reasons for both.

Yusuke's taunts about me developing an affection for this inane warrior woman resurfaced and I used them to muster up some form of defense against my own thoughts.

"That seems stupid." I pointed out, attempting to be as harsh as I could. "You hate me."

"Maybe there's merit in telling because you're an asshole. No one will believe you." Her grin grew as she leaned toward me, her hand reaching out and wrapping around the neck of the bottle in my hands. It forced us closer than we normally allowed ourselves to get. "What would you even say? That dying hurts? It's nothing new."

I tightened my grip on the bottle when she tried to take it away from me. Not that I wanted more to drink. I think I mostly just didn't want to give it to her.

Maybe I enjoyed the way she leaned over me.

That stray thought wasn't worth examining and I quickly refused to even acknowledge it had flown through my brain.

"I want to hurt you." The words fell from my mouth before I could even think to stop them. Where had that come from? Shinpi seemed less surprised than I did. My shock at myself loosed my grip on the bottle and she pulled it away, drinking her fill before responding.

"I don't hate you." She told me idly, as though it was the easiest thing in the world for her to say. "I find you to be an ass who cares mostly for himself, but so am I. I can't rightly hate you for that. If anything, I'd hate you for being an attractive ass, but even then it's a stretch."

It didn't bypass me that this wasn't the first time Shinpi had commented on my looks. She did it fairly often, honestly. She tossed words like lovely, handsome, attractive around like they held no weight at all. But she was the only one who used them. She was the only one who looked at me for longer than she had to and spit out some sort of nonsense along those lines.

I hated the ease with which she could call on those sort of compliments. Her comfort in using them.

But I also didn't hate that she directed them toward me.

Infuriating woman.

Idiot.

"Maybe you should hate me." I pressed, testing her. For what I didn't know.

"Maybe." She agreed without argument and she pushed the bottle into my hands. Her hands closed around mine, her fingers forcing mine to grip the bottle and the callouses on her palms felt oddly comforting. "But I doubt that'll sway me."

"Even though I just said I wanted to hurt you?" My voice came from the bottom of my throat, another unintended response.

"Because you said you wanted to hurt me." She lowered her voice too, her hands sliding from mine to my knees. Or more the area just above my knees yet short of my thighs. I refuse to accept that for a second I'd hoped she would move them further up. "Maybe I want to hurt you a little bit too."

I sucked in my breath, all too aware of her suddenly. Her dark hair framing her face. Her thick lashes lining cobalt eyes filled with a fire I didn't want to stifle. Petal pink lips that might've made Kurama's roses pale in envy, if Kuwabara were the one describing her. He had that romantic nonsense prattling around his brain constantly. I tried to focus on how annoying the softness of her features were, on how unbecoming her unblemished face was for a warrior.

Fuck this woman and her stupidly attractive arrangement of features. Fuck her and her fierce attitude. Fuck her enticingly muttered threat. I hated her so much that it didn't feel like hate at all. But to consider another name for the heat in my veins would be insanity.

"God, I wish you would." I told her, seething into the words, dipping my head forward to hold her gaze. "I really wish you would."

"Careful Hiei." She stepped forward, her hands still resting just above my knees and her body slid between my legs the bottle keeping our chests separated. "You're dealing with a lethal predator you know. You might want to be careful what you wish for."

"Fuck careful." I growled. "If I wanted to be careful I wouldn't have brought you here."

"Do you want me to tell you about my last day on earth, Hiei?" Shinpi tilted her head, lips pulled into a grin that lifted more on the left than the right and I noticed the crookedness and felt more than a little annoyed that it seemed charming.

"Not even a little bit." I told her firmly. "I don't want to hear about how you died, Shinpi."

"What do you want to hear, Hiei?" She looked down me and I couldn't keep my tongue from sliding over my bottom lip because she kept saying my name like it was a secret.

"I want to hear you beg me for mercy." I told her and our eyes locked.

"Well, on that front you'll be left wanting." Shinpi assured me, nothing short of a shit-eating grin lighting over her features, revealing canines that seemed a bit too sharp to be human but too dull to be demon. Caught in-between. She reached between our bodies and tugged on the bottle that I once again refused to relinquish to her at first.

Between the two of us, we'd nearly finished it. I didn't trust what would happen if we managed to accomplish that feat. Yet, Shinpi still lifted the bottle to her lips, her blue eyes fixated on my own. I watched the mouth of the bottle meet her lips, then watched her throat move as she swallowed the contents and a primal portion of my brain enjoyed the display far more than it should've.

It was a small mercy that no one was here to watch me struggle to maintain my self-control.

"You're warm." Shinpi commented, as if she'd never particularly noticed before. Her fingertips dug into my legs a little, her grip firmer than before.

To pin me place or steal that heat, I wasn't sure.

"I am." I stated plainly because she wasn't the first to say so. I ran hot, that's what Yusuke said.

"I like it."

My world narrowed around Shinpi's words and I wasn't sure what expression I offered in response but I hoped it looked annoyed. She pulled back from me at any rate so I guess I was successful. Kuwabara had, on occasion, accused me of having resting bitch face. In this moment that was my saving grace. What might've usually been an insult had saved me.

Because I felt anything but bitchy about her comment or the way she'd looked at me when she'd uttered it.

"When we're sober, I'm going to drag you into a fight by your hair if I have to." I warned her. It was the only thing I could think to say. I expected some push back, since that's all I'd received for ages when provoking her, but this time she nodded to my words without argument.

"Sir, yes sir." She told me, grinning still. "Thank you for listening to me, Hiei. And for being here."

"Don't ruin this for me." I huffed, glaring. "I don't want your sentimental misgivings."

"Does that mean no hug?" She asked, tilting her chin down to eye me through her lashes.

"No hugs."

"What if I win our next sparring session?" She questioned and I raised my eyebrows.

"What about it you win?"

Shinpi remained quiet for a second, gathering her thoughts. "Let's wager. If I win, I get something I want from you. If you win, you get something you want from me."

"Something I want?"

"Anything you want."

I considered it. The proposition held merit. Anything I wanted from her? An opportunity I didn't want to pass up. "I accept."

She smiled then, and the expression whispered that I might've just made a huge mistake. A Sensui level mistake. What trick did she have up her sleeve to garner that confidence? I didn't rightly care, honestly. I was eager for a true fight with Shinpi. Something worth the sweat I was sure to spill.

"Hmm. A deal then. You with your sword against me and my knives." She told me even though we hadn't discussed weapons. "I'm getting excited."

"It's about time." I muttered, mildly annoyed that it took most of a bottle of whatever gut rot we were downing to draw the feeling from her.

"Why do you want to fight me so badly? I'm nothing compared to you." She lowered her voice, eyebrows drawn down and her eyes didn't meet mine but glanced lower.

She might've been staring at my mouth but I refused to consider it.

"Because you're strong." I told her honestly, easily. It rolled off my tongue like my name.

And yet, looking at her reaction, it was such a monumental thing to say. Her fingertips ghosted over my pants as she stepped back a half-step, her gaze raising to meet mine once more. Shoulders fallen, chin tipped down, she looked at me through those dark lashes of hers. From her pursed lips I knew she wanted to question me. She thought I was lying.

But she didn't say a word.

"We're equals on the field." I went on, merely to keep her looking at me. I wasn't sure why holding eye contact meant so much, but it was important. My fuzzy brain thought so, at least. "I want to see which of us is better."

That shocked her. Her mouth fell open slightly, eyes wide and pupils contracted.

"Which of us is better?" She repeated.

"Did I stutter?"

"Hiei, you're far bet-"

"Don't you dare lie to me, Shinpi." The words tumbled out before I could stop them or the growl that vocalized them. "I know you're as strong as I am. I know you have more experience than I do. I want to see if I can live up to those odds. I want your best."

Her fingers slid up my thighs a few inches, something I noticed but ignored as she leaned toward me. Her gaze softening bred a new heat in my veins, something that wasn't quite the urge to fight. It trailed up my spine, raising the hair on my nape with anticipation all the same.

"You've surprised me." She admitted, anything but meek as she grinned. "It's been a very long time since someone has surprised me."

"Maybe we're finally getting even then." I told her, smirking. "Since I had never suspected you were some legendary demon lord when you bared your teeth at me the first time."

"Maybe." She agreed, and her hands moved to my shoulders. "It's sort of intoxicating, the idea that someone actually wants to face _me_."

"As someone who wants to fight you, I can agree. It's intoxicating."

Her blush was immediate and I had to grip the bottle in my hands to keep them occupied because I had a feeling if I reached for her, I'd get more than a fight right now. Kurama had accused me, on the rare of occasion, of being a smooth operator. I had never taken him at his word before. Shinpi's flush and blown pupils indicated that maybe I was better at this game than I thought I was.

Which brought to the forefront of my mind: Why was I even playing? Was I trying to seduce this woman? Was she trying to seduce me? Where would that leave us, if it were the case? Yusuke had declared her a teammate, an unspoken rule that she was off limits birthed from his remarks. Shinpi didn't particularly look opposed to the idea of bedding me at the moment, but she'd been drinking long before I'd arrived.

This wasn't the time.

Maybe the place, if I was being honest, but not the time.

"I thought Kurama had the silver tongue in the group, but you're alarmingly dangerous." Shinpi told me, pulling back. I didn't stop her.

"Hn." I uttered the sound to cover up the disappoint of her retreat. I couldn't be blamed for her advancing on me. But pursuing her? That would catch me hell.

"So, it's a deal, right? We'll fight and whoever wins gets whatever they want from the loser. One thing." She recanted the deal we'd just made and I knew she was about to make her getaway.

Probably for the best, because her scent was starting to get delectable and I wasn't in the best place to control my reactions.

"A deal." I nodded once, offering my hand to her. She accepted it, shook it twice then lifted my knuckles to her lips.

I was too caught off guard to comment on her actions before she whisked away from me.

"Have a good night, Hiei."

I raised the bottle to my lips once more, drinking deeply until the liquor burned my throat and it was all I could taste or smell, anything to wash the taste of _almost_ off of my tongue.


	20. A Wager

**A/N: I'm posting a day early because my work schedule changed this week. We had a lot of people quit and I may be working more, so, hopefully I'll stick to Saturdays but we shall see. I'm pretty happy with this chapter! It got fairly long, but the interactions were pretty fun to write. I also had the chance to outline some more chapters coming up and I think you'll all like them.**

* * *

Hiei passed by Shinpi's door, his eyes darting toward it before they shifted to the old woman acting as a specter in her own home. Genkai watched him with wry amusement.

"Are you going to go in?" She asked, nodding to the door. "Seems a little late for a courtesy call."

It was late. Very late. So late, in fact, he'd thought the old crone had already gone to sleep.

"Yukina's in there." He stated simply.

"And if she wasn't?" Genkai smirked at him and he wondered if she was fast enough to avoid his sword. It had been years since The Dark Tournament and her old bones should have withered _some_ by now. "You look guilty, Hiei. Defensive even. Were you up to no good?"

"I was checking on a teammate, hardly a capital offense." Hiei shoved his hands into the depths of his pockets, strolling toward her. "What of it?"

"Have you been helping Amon-Shinpi with her night terrors?" She asked and he frowned at her correct assumption. "That must be hard for you."

"It's a part of the job." Hiei spoke simply. "Why are you lurking in the dark?"

"I was waiting for you."

He sneered at that, rolling his eyes. But he didn't argue with her.

"You saw her." Genkai told him. Not a question, but a fact. "Earlier tonight in her moment of weakness."

That made Hiei raise an eyebrow.

"What exactly are you about to argue over?" She huffed. "Spit it out, Hiei."

"I am not convinced that Shinpi is as weak she wants everyone to believe, including herself. Tonight's lapse, or whatever it was, hampered her senses but I got the impression she was more than capable of defending herself should the need have arisen." He spoke in a clipped tone. "Her idiocy is not the same as weakness and mistaking it for such will get someone killed."

A grin cracked over Genkai's dry lips. "I meant it colloquially, Hiei. Sorry I offended your sensibilities."

Color doused Hiei's cheeks, his teeth grinding together. He was in no condition to be meeting Genkai head on. "Whatever. What did you want to know about her drunken self-pity session?"

"You've told me everything I needed to hear." The old woman offered him a single infuriating look. Then she started walking toward her room.

"I hate you." Hiei muttered the expression, hunching down into his shoulders.

With another glance toward the door, Hiei paused before beginning his retreat to the back of the temple, gathering himself. Normally he'd have slipped outside and found himself at home in a tree or even on the roof of the old temple, but with his awareness still muddled by the persistent clutches of the alcohol he'd indulged in it was better to remain inside. Away from anything and anyone who might want to disrupt him.

Shinpi's door slid open and whatever look Hiei cast toward it troubled the woman who greeted him. He'd almost hoped it was Yukina. But cobalt eyes, not crimson, scanned over him.

"Oh, Hiei, you're awake?" Shinpi blinked, looking far too exhausted to be on her feet.

"I was headed to bed." He kept his voice quiet, eyes darting the way Genkai had gone. Now would be the perfect time for that old bat to make an appearance.

"Don't let me keep you." Black hair shivered with the gesture of looking down the hall and back to him. "Is there something you're looking for? You keep staring that way."

"Nothing." Hiei responded quickly, then frowned at his own reaction. "I'm still drunk."

"Oh."

Silence fell between them and he remained in place despite saying he'd been headed to bed. Shinpi made no move to leave her door either.

"Well, goodnight."

"Why are you up?"

They spoke over one another and Hiei pressed his lips thin as Shinpi did, they both went to speak again and then clamped their mouths closed. After a brief staring contest, Hiei charged ahead.

"Dreams?" He asked her, gesturing toward her room loosely. "Is that why you're up at this ungodly hour?"

"Actually, I heard voices." Shinpi explained smoothly. "I thought I'd see who was partying outside my door."

"Oh." Hiei nodded, and looked up and the down the hall again. "We're still fighting tomorrow?"

He'd meant it as a firm statement. A demand. Perhaps an order. But the trailing lilt had made it into a question and he heaved a sigh, turning to face the end of the hall so she couldn't see his face.

"You're a bit of a lightweight, huh?" Shinpi surmised and then laughed as he spun to shoot her a glare. The movement made him stumble, only further annoying him because it proved her point. "Need help getting to your room?"

"No." He responded curtly. "Why aren't you still drunk?"

"I am." She assured him, then smiled. "I'm just standing still so it's easier to pretend."

"Then what were you offering to do? Stumble with me to my room?" He demanded.

"The idea does hold some promise. But you're right, you're probably better off without me." She shrugged. "And yes, we're still fighting tomorrow."

"Don't forget in the morning." He warned her, eyes narrowed. "I don't want you to make excuses, so don't forget."

"I'm a woman of my word. I said we'd fight, so we will."

"I like that about you, even if it is foolish." Hiei remarked. "Always making promises to keep them. It makes you predictable, but it's honorable none the less."

"You should go to bed before you say something too kind to me." Shinpi smiled again and Hiei studied the expression.

"That's nice." He muttered, and with horror realized he'd vocalized the thought he'd been having. Shinpi furrowed her brow, head tilting to study him. He covered the fleeting mistake quickly. "That you're worried about me when you can't keep yourself out of trouble."

"Ah, there he is, my favorite fire demon. I thought I'd lost you in there for a moment." Shinpi giggled behind her hand and Hiei bit his cheek to keep from saying something about it. "Goodnight, Hiei. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." He agreed.

When she slid back into her room Hiei released some of the tension that had been holding him upright with a burdened sigh. What the hell was going on with him? He was never drinking again. Picking a careful path toward his room, he closed his eyes as he passed the reading room.

"Fuck you." He shot at Genkai, not even having to look to know she was grinning at him. "You're not as intuitive as you think you are, you old hag."

"Still feeling defensive I see."

"I'm going to be feeling your bones break in my hands if you don't stop with that simpering nonsense." Hiei huffed back at her, eyes narrowed and fists at his sides.

A thin, grey brow arched and he knew the silent warning for what it was. Hard not to recognize the signs of the old woman getting ready to knock someone out when he'd seen her go after Yusuke so many times. Nostrils flaring, Hiei just rolled his gaze away and stalked the rest of his way to his room. Whatever she was thinking, it was wrong. He could tell from the lines of sardonic joy on her face.

* * *

Hell was a real place and it currently resided solely in Hiei's sloshy brain. Every moment birthed a new ache and the lights weren't fucking helping.

Neither was that incessant mechanical whining from the kitchen.

"Shut it off or I'm going to break it." He warned, marching into the room with a snarl.

"Smoothie?" Shinpi turned to him with a neutral expression, offering a glass. "It'll cure what ails you, my friend."

"We are not friends." Hiei snapped and jerked the glass from her hand, downing half of the contents in one go before choking on it and sputtering. He wiped at his mouth, offended she'd had the audacity to feed him whatever pond slime this was. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Shinpi merely tipped her own glass toward him after filling with the vile green gunk from the blender's pitcher. She raised it to her lips and Hiei watched helplessly as she drank the entire thing without pausing to breath or request a priest for her last rights. Exhaling after she finished, she licked her lips and set the glass on the counter.

"You're a monster." Hiei told her, horrified.

"A fact I have never denied." She agreed. "Still up for our fight later?"

"Yes. You're not weaseling out of it." Hiei then glanced at the glass he still held. "This isn't poison is it?"

"Oh, Hiei, please." Shinpi put a hand over her chest in offense. Then her eyes glittered as she kept that neutral expression locked into place. "Would it matter since you've already finished half of it?"

His glare could have rotted spring saplings to their roots. Yet, as usual, the woman remained unbothered.

Out of spite Hiei drained the rest of the glass and shoved it into her hands. "I'm going to beat you harder than necessary for making me drink that disgusting swamp water."

"It's a smoothie." Shinpi sighed heavily. "I'm unappreciated in my time."

"Yeah, poor you." He rolled his eyes and hated to admit the action didn't give him a headache. "What toxic garbage did you just feed me?"

"Wheat grass, spinach, a banana, coconut water, cinnamon." She ticked off the ingredients. "Heavy on the wheatgrass. I drank some last night too."

He just stared at he as if she'd grown a second head, letting his expression of curious disgust do all the talking before making sure she understood. "I'm going to really enjoy hitting you today."

"If you manage the act, I'm certain you will." She agreed. "I won't make it easy on you."

"I'm sure you'll be your usual annoying flighty self darting around like some sort of bug." Hiei complained. "Today is a contest, don't forget that."

"I could say the same to you." Her words turned cold.

"What exactly does that mean?" Hiei demanded.

"It means, if you give me your all, Hiei. I'll return the favor." Shinpi let the words spill from her and it didn't seem to register to the demon before her that she'd just revealed the secret to getting her to do what he wanted.

All he had to do was give her a reason.

Was that so hard for him to comprehend?

Watching him stare at her, no recognition in his cinnabar eyes, she had to think that maybe it was. Maybe he didn't understand. She couldn't just spill her power out for no reason, she couldn't just come to him without _something_ to lean on. Without proof he could handle it. Her fists curled at her sides because she _wanted_ him to understand. She wanted Hiei to get it, to just give her something to hope for.

Just one little sign.

 _Please._

Those wide crimson eyes stared at her, blinked and then his expression shifted as he watched her. She wasn't sure what caused the change but hope seized her like the restrictive claws of an unseen monster.

"Promise me." Hiei told her after a few more seconds of silence.

Shinpi's brow furrowed, her eyes squinting to assess him. "Promise what?"

"That you'll match me." He stepped toward her. "So far you've half-assed every fight between us, and I want your word that if I come at you you'll be able to defend yourself. I don't want to hurt you because you can't handle what you ask for. I want to hurt because you _can_."

Another lapse in the conversation, if it could even be deemed as such. Then a quirk of her lips, a knowing bow of her head.

"I promise, Hiei." She kept her voice low, a smirk stealing over her lips.

* * *

"Heard you and your girlfriend were going to hash things out today." Yusuke rested against a tree, Kurama and Kuwabara flanking him as Hiei marched their direction. "I couldn't miss this."

"That nosey old woman." Hiei hissed under his breath, searching for Genkai and finding her further down the field with Shinpi. If anyone had called Yusuke, it was her. "This was only decided last night. How the hell did you morons manage to make the arrangements to come up so quickly?"

"Oh, Hichi called me." Kuwabara lifted a finger. "Before she went to bed. It woke up sis. Anyway, she said I had to be here to study the fight so I told the guys. Thought we'd make a day of it."

Great. Just, just fucking great. Hiei glared balefully at the lot of them then shifted his attention away. "Good. I'm sure she'll need your moral support after I absolutely demolish her."

"What are you betting?" Kurama asked casually, the glint in his eyes was anything but. Hiei didn't fall for the ruse.

"You'll know when she does." Hiei snidely huffed, then he stalked his way toward the two women waiting for them, the others following behind him. "Did you bring your little knives, Shinpi?"

"Did you bring your sword?" She asked, mocking his tone.

"Naturally."

"May I inspect it?" She revealed the two long knives she had strapped to her legs and the set of kunai she kept on her arm today.

Grousing quietly, Hiei handed her his sword and accepted her knives. Freshly sharpened just like his sword. Well cared for, no nicks. If it had been anyone other than Shinpi he'd have been mildly impressed. As it was, this was the level of intention he expected from the woman.

"If you cut me, just make sure it's done right. I don't want any more scars at the moment." Shinpi grinned at Hiei, handing his sword back to him after studying the craftsmanship. "That is a lovely tool you have there."

As if he could actually mangle her. Beat into the ground? Sure. Threaten to maim her? Definitely. Maybe even cut her a bit. But to actually deeply wound her so that it would scar intentionally?

Hiei snorted, not nearly as amused or confident as she was. Maybe he should leave the sword out of this one. But if he did, the team would never let him live it down. They'd start it on him as if he had feelings for the stupid woman. Not to mention, she'd specifically demanded he use it. She had a plan. He'd just have to trust her not to get herself killed by his hand.

"I won't promise anything." He told her expecting a cool response. What he received was glittering eyes and a blinding grin.

This goddamn woman was wrecking his senses.

Shinpi relished in it. The way he looked at her. So confused and yet trying to maintain his power, as if he had a chance. As if she hadn't already won. The minute he'd agreed to this fight, he'd lost. She'd wipe the floor with him and enjoy every moment that he pouted and seethed afterward because teasing Hiei had quickly become her favorite habit. It outpaced drinking by miles.

"It's a best of five. The first to three wins." Genkai announced to both of them, and each nodded.

"Before we start," Shinpi let that same frustrating grin grace her face as she spoke, her tone lofty, "I want you to know what I'm fighting for."

"I don't care."

"I'm sure." She assured him, another dangerous glint in her eyes. "If I win I'm requesting a new guardian. Or, more specifically to the terms of our arrangement, I'm asking you to step down."

Hiei stared at her, blinked, closed his eyes and sighed, rubbing at his face in his frustration. "Why?"

"Why not?" She shrugged.

"That's not an answer."

"Isn't it though?" Shinpi shrugged. She'd never outright answer him, not right now. Maybe later, if he won and asked her again she'd tell him she wanted him to fight for her. She wanted to see if he actually wanted her here, or if this was some misplaced sense of obligation. A flutter of hope had ignited in her that maybe, just maybe, she could rely on this bundle of idiots she'd become tethered to.

It felt impossible. The mere thought that these men would _want_ to help her, would want her around, it reeked of deceit.

She'd been a fool once and vowed to never fall into that role again.

Because even if she wanted to believe it, she couldn't. Not yet.

Her wager put Hiei in the precarious position of fighting for her no matter what his original intention had been when he'd arrived. Either he wanted her around bad enough to defeat her or he didn't.

She wasn't going to make it easy on him either.

So, if Hiei truly thought she was capable of more than vengeance, if this team that kept trying to include her was worth more than their temporary usefulness to her, she'd use this fight to find out. She'd put Hiei in traction if she had to. He wanted her to prove she could handle his energy? She'd been waiting on the same from him.

She'd seen how he'd looked at her when she'd cut through that army. Overwhelmed, resigned. He'd been outmatched and he knew it.

Yet he still asked for her to come at him full force.

Maybe he was just as suicidal as she was.

"So that's how it's going to be." Hiei looked her over, unimpressed.

"Yes, that's how it's going to be." She nodded once, arms at her sides before she shot a glance toward Genkai.

"Find your mettle, Shinpi. You're going to need it." He glanced at the old woman too, then back to his current target. "Don't cry to me when you get yourself hurt."

"I like it when you're haughty, Hiei, it makes the taste of defeating you that much sweeter." Shinpi flashed a smile that disappeared as quickly as it had come, but a spark ignited in her eyes.

"One. Two." Genkai pressed her lips into a line, hand raised into the air, then dropped it. "Three."

One moment Hiei was on his feet, the next he wasn't. It was that simple. Shinpi took his legs from under him with a smirk and slammed her palm into his chest, forcing him into the ground. When he flipped back to his feet, she spun behind him looping her arm around his as he tried to rear his elbow back into her. Hiei snarled, turning to reach for her and watched as she danced from under his fingertips, kicking off a tree and flipping over a branch so she could land a few feet away from him.

It had all happened so fast he didn't feel the wire until he saw the light of the sun glint off of it. His arms encircled, the end in the woman's hands trailing up above them.

Shinpi winked at him and all too late he realized the trap he'd walked into. With a roar of rage from him, she tugged on the wire she'd wound around his wrists and forearms, forcing his hands together. Her somersault with the tree had been a trick, a tool to throw the wire over a sturdy branch and now she used it as leverage to pull Hiei to his toes, his arms effectively bound. Her energy traced through the wire and over his skin, petrichor filling the air.

In less than a minute she'd managed to capture him.

Hiei was positively seething, teeth bared as he struggled against his bonds, trying to find knots to undo. There were none. If nothing else, her taste in weaponry was superb.

"One for me." Shinpi smirked at him. "You know, my crueler tendencies want me to leave you like this and see if you can get yourself out."

"If you were half as smart as you think you'd run the minute I'm free." Hiei warned her darkly, snarling. "I'm going to kill you."

"Promise?" Shinpi winked again, walking forward while he was still trapped. He had to look down at her, dangling on his toes the way he was. "You look sort of delectable, all defenseless. It's making my darker needs rise up."

"Fuck you." Hiei growled the words. "Let me go so I can destroy you."

"You do know how disappointed I'm going to be if you're lying, don't you?" She wrapped her hand around the bottom of his jaw, her grip bruising. "If you lose, I'll do more than walk away from you, Hiei. I will make sure you never disappoint anyone ever again."

"Shinpi that's enough." Genkai warned and the dark haired woman hesitated before releasing the fire demon from her trap. "Reset, we'll begin the second round."

"Just a quick reminder that the first to three wins." Shinpi told Hiei as she unraveled his hands.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." He warned her, eyes narrowed, fists curled at his sides.

"I barely saw her move." Kuwabara muttered, glancing at Kurama and Yusuke. "What about you two?"

Yusuke's lips pressed into a line, answer enough.

"Even Hiei was caught off guard by her speed." Kurama offered. "Though, I doubt he'll be caught unaware again."

"Relax detective, I'm not going to intentionally kill your friend." Shinpi shot Yusuke a look, rolling her eyes. "Hiei's a big boy, he can handle himself."

"It's not him I'm worried about. You're literally playing with fire." Yusuke pointed out to her. "He means it when he says he'll kill you."

That earned a secretive smile and Shinpi shifted her gaze to the fire demon. "Ready for round two, handsome?"

"Are you, _princess_?" He sneered at her, rolling his shoulders.

Genkai barely had the count finished when he blurred forward, sword drawn and slashing down at Shinpi. Her knives came out in the same breath, the sparks of their blades colliding only stilling them for a moment. Shinpi ducked under Hiei's sword, slashing a line into his shirt. He cut the back of her tee open in kind. At the sight of bandages around her torso he withdrew a step, anger and concern mixing in his expression.

"Are you injur-"

Her knee slammed into his gut with enough force to knock the air from his lungs. Shinpi grabbed his right wrist and arm, flinging him into a tree. Leaves shook free of their stems, falling down around them, fresh and green. Red eyes glared against blue, then roved down to the blade in her hand. The one she'd stolen from him during her attack.

"Come now, I know I didn't hurt you that bad." She flashed another grin, devious and scathing, falling into a practiced stance with his sword. "This match isn't over yet, Hiei. Get up and fight me."

He pulled himself to his feet, nodding as he looked her over. His expression infinitely more dark that she'd seen it yet sent a chill down her spine in the best way.

"You took mine." She reminded him.

The game became keep away for a few minutes, Hiei attempting to pry the sword from the woman's hands and failing. She left more than a handful of cuts on his chest and arms, all shallow, fully controlled.

Warnings.

Hiei didn't heed them. His fury drove him to wrap an arm around her neck from behind. The sharp pain that announced the tip of his sword pressing just under the upper left side edge of his ribcage brought him to stillness. Shinpi pressed further, drawing blood as if to remind him of her intention.

"I will drive this right through your lung, even if it means turning around and healing you right after." Shinpi warned him, holding steady.

"You wouldn't dare." Hiei growled.

The blade sank into his chest a few inches, widening his eyes and tightening his hold on the woman. His grunt of pain was the only indication she'd followed through.

"Enough. Two Shinpi. Zero Hiei." Genkai stated coolly, then glared at Shinpi. "You're on thin ice."

Shinpi just grinned, withdrawing the blade slowly. She used her tattered shirt to clean the tip of the weapon before sliding into the sheath on Hiei's side herself, holding his gaze the entire time she did so. Then her hand came up to his chest, palm growing slick with his blood as it pressed to his wound. That calming green light appeared, and with the warmth of whispering energy as it sealed the gash. When she went to pull back, Hiei grabbed her wrist, squeezing.

"Where has all this fight been for the last few months?" He demanded. "Suddenly you feel confident enough to waste your energy between matches? Since when?"

"I told you I'd heal you, so I did." Shinpi yanked her arm from of his hold, still close enough to him that their personal bubbles overlapped. "Does it matter where the fight is coming from? It's here now."

"It matters." Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"You should focus a little more on the fact you're losing and a little less on pedantic questions." Shinpi warned him. "Once I when this next match you'll have plenty of free time to think without all the responsibility of being a caretaker. You can even go back to your station and never see my face again. Now shut up and hit me."

She pulled away from him and went back to her starting position, some of the jovial spirit gone. The fire in her eyes remained but it seemed less friendly.

Hiei liked it.

Not that he'd ever tell this crazy bitch that.

"Fine." Hiei rolled his neck side to side, popping it, then stretched his arms. "You want to act like a bitch, that's how you'll be treated."

One brow shot up on her forehead, her expression of mixture of surprise and annoyance. "Careful, Hiei. I'm doing my best to not maim you beyond reason."

"What the hell for?" He demanded, eyes narrowed. "Maim. Scar me. See if I give a damn because I have no qualms with doing the same to you."

She offered a single snort of derision then tensed as Genkai began the count.

This time Hiei saw it coming. Her fingers fiddled with the loose wrapping of her Infinity Chain just before Genkai lowered her hand. He watched the thin wire come undone. And he was able to avoid it because of that. When she went to loop it around his wrist again, he shoved her arm away and kicked her hamstring. It forced her off balance and allowed him to spin and land a solid hit to her jaw.

She hit a tree with an audible groan, tenderly rubbing face as she got to her feet. Hiei hardly allowed her time to recover, sword out and slashing. It put her on the defensive, forced her to dance back and under his blade. He watched her grow more and more annoyed with her position. The anger lined her face.

It was almost laughable; how sure she'd been that she was going to win this.

She slid under his blade and surprised him by brings both of knives down toward his chest in an X. The two lines appeared on his chest, but he'd leapt back before she could dig too deep. In his haste she whipped her leg around and nailed him in the side. His grip on his sword switched and he slashed it across her side.

Yusuke swearing echoed all their sentiments as the blade hit its mark, biting through Shinpi's shirt and into the soft area just above her hip. The woman's eyes widened her mouth falling open as she pressed a hand to the wound.

So much for not scarring her, Hiei thought, eyes flashing wide.

"Ow." Shinpi staggered back, brows pulling together as she studied her hand in awe of the liquid ruby painting her skin.

Hiei stared at his sword, then traced his attention back to the woman he'd just injured. He stepped toward her, blade held at his side.

Genkai snorted, rolling her eyes which drew Kurama's attention. He furrowed his brow then glanced toward the fight that had yet to be called. Hiei reached for Shinpi.

"Are you too hurt to go on?" He asked her seriously.

"God, you are the worst." Shinpi told him, her eyes shifting from agonized to accusing as she looked up at him through her bangs. A darkness descended on her that seemed to change the way the air tasted. The breeze felt sharper suddenly.

Hiei barely avoided the knife she arced toward his chest, and even more narrowly threw up a block against the second one she had aimed for his throat. He shoved her arm away but Shinpi merely spun and planted her foot against his stomach and sent him stumbling back. His brought his sword up and her knives bit against it, metal creaking against metal.

"The fight isn't over, asshole." She reminded him. "And I am not a china doll who needs your constant fretting."

He forced her knives to the side, his fist slamming into her chest. Shinpi slid back on her toes, eyes full of darkness so deep they had turned from cobalt to indigo. Her lips quirked up into a smirk and she offered a wink. Hiei frowned and then blinked as his shirt literally fell to pieces around him, cut along the seams.

She lunged at him and their blades clashed repeatedly, each of them growing faster and faster. When Hiei attempted to punch her again, she pirouetted around him, her fingers grazing the edge of his jaw and earlobe as he surged forward away from her, those damn warning bells screaming again.

Shinpi just offered a small shrug as if this were a disappointment but one she didn't truly mind. But when he smirked at her, she blinked. Then her eyes widened and she hit her knees, Hiei's hand tugging the Infinity Chain he'd stolen off of her arm during their exchanges. When she'd spun around him, he'd looped it around her throat. He wrapped his foot in the chain and planted it on the ground, forcing Shinpi down to all fours. The dark glow of his eyes as he looked down at her bit directly into her ego, tearing it open.

"I see why you like this little toy. There's a nice sense of _control_ to using it." Hiei watched her seethe. "Perfect for disciplining an unruly puppy."

"I will rip your throat out with my teeth." She growled the words, eyes glued to his. "There will be no putting you back together when I'm done with you."

"You'll have to catch me first." Hiei continued to smirk. "Remember? I told you. You're fighting to win, princess. I'm trying to draw it out for as long as I can."

He began to walk closer, pulling on the wire to keep it taut and allowing her to rise to her knees again. She heaved her breaths, teeth bared as she menaced him with a look.

"There's the expression I've been waiting for." Hiei took her chin in his hand, the heat from the night before fanning back to life from the ashes he'd been sure he'd smothered with alcohol. "I've been wanting to see your teeth, wolf girl."

"Keep your hand on my face and I'll give you an impression of them." She warned him darkly.

Hiei kneeled, his hand trailing from her chin to her throat where his fingers closed, clamping down. "Have it your way."

"Hiei one, Shinpi two." Genkai didn't wait for any signs of distress before calling this round. Her eyes glued to Hiei. "Take it down a notch, Hiei."

"No." He responded firmly. Then to Shinpi as he wound her chain around his wrist. "I'm keeping this."

"For what will surely be the most empowering thirty seconds of your pitiful life." Shinpi snapped at him, rubbing her neck. But her lips lifted just after. "I'm actually having fun. It's been a long time since someone has been able to keep pace with me.

"If you'd gotten your head out your ass sooner, we could have been doing this all along." Hiei pointed out dryly.

"I don't like sparring with people I don't trust." Shinpi told him flippantly, blinking when she noticed the tremble of tension that racked over his form. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Hiei sneered at her, crossing his arms and jutting his chin away from her. It made her tip her head to the side, she glanced to Genkai for answers but received only a dull stare.

The other men all exchanged knowing looks. It was Yusuke who snickered under his breath, "Looks like Hiei is going through another tricky change."

Crimson eyes cut to him with intent to kill glittering in the irises.

When Genkai offered the count again Hiei jumped back, a knife biting into the ground at his feet. Shinpi smirked and threw another, the kunai fanned between her fingers. He jumped up, spin kicking the next toward the detective.

"Watch it!" Yusuke hollered at him, brandishing a fist. "I will pull this fight over you little shit!"

Hiei ignored him, too preoccupied with Shinpi's thighs wrapping around his head. She wrenched herself back, twisting both their bodies before they hit the ground so she landed on top. A quick jab to the nose was met with a hand around her fist to stop the next strike. Hiei turned his face and sank his teeth into her thigh, earning a cry of surprised pain. Shinpi pulled his hair, forcing his head back and snarled at him.

"I will-"

"What?" Hiei asked her, smirking as she stopped midsentence at the pressure of the knife he pressed to the side of her throat. "Be distracted so I could get the upper hand?"

She swallowed without answering him, eyes focused on his hand. When he pressed the point into her skin, welling up a drop of blood, she sneered slightly.

"Let go of my hair." Hiei demanded and she tightened her hold.

"Slit my throat, see if I care." Shinpi hissed. "It's your day that will be ruined, not mine."

Hiei swallowed. "Let go of my hair."

He adjusted his grip moving the knife upwards, pressing the tip to her temple. Shinpi grew completely still, barely even breathing. Her hand fell away from his hair immediately.

"Ah, you may not care about your life but that brain of yours has some leverage I see." Hiei licked his lips. "I should have known. Next time I'll just start there."

Shinpi seethed quietly but didn't move to retaliate. Genkai called the match in Hiei's favor and the woman peeled herself from him without a care. Stretching her arms, she glared at him.

"A tie is not a victory." Shinpi reminded Hiei when he smirked at her. "What are you planning on doing once your post here is vacated?"

"You can't get rid of me that easily." Hiei tossed the knife toward her, watching as she deftly caught it between her fingers.

Shinpi frowned, collecting her knives as she considered his words. She slid them back into their pouch on her side then peeled her ruined shirt over her head. The sarashi wrap underneath earned her some stares as the team all studied her.

"It's not an injury, unclench." She stared at the lot of them. "I was just more comfortable with this chest wrap over a sports bra today. It's how I used to dress when I was training."

"You'll have Yukina heal that." Hiei gestured to the gash he'd left on her side.

"It's not that bad." Shinpi shrugged. "I can let it heal on its own."

"I'm not arguing with you over this every time. Yukina will heal it." Hiei demanded.

"How about, if you win you can make me." Shinpi told him coolly, following his lead back to their starting positions. "Other than that you should remember you aren't the boss of me."

"Of course I'm not, no man can control a tempest." Hiei's words brought color to her cheeks and he reveled in it for a moment before darting forward.

Shinpi's shocked call when Hiei swept her feet preceded her landing on her hands and flipping back to her toes with a pleased grin. "You're learning. I like it."

He came at her again, and they traded blows until they tied up. Shinpi took Hiei's wrist and twisted his arm behind his back, grabbing his throat from behind. He slammed his foot on her instep then reared his heel back into her thigh. Spinning from her hold, he dropped his fist against her cheek. She spun around, leg arching through the air and Hiei slid back on to toes, arms lifted against the cut of wind that bit into his skin. His canines showed when he grinned maliciously, his fire coming to his palms easily.

Shinpi deflected his attacks, her palms cracking and burning with every strike she accepted. But she refused to show him how badly it hurt her. Instead she pulled his arm down, raised her leg and hooked it around his neck, forcing him to the ground. Her heel dropped where his face had been as he rolled to the side, pushing up and spinning on his hands to sweep her legs again. So he had learned a new trick but had yet to master it. She catalogued that for a later time. Shinpi deftly jumped into the air, avoiding his attack and when she threw her knives they held a knew edge as the wind carried them with more force. One cut Hiei in the forearm, another grazing his thigh.

He pulled out his sword and she bobbed and weaved around all his attacks. When he got too close, she caught the blade in her fist, blood trickling down her arm from the fresh gash on her palm. Eyes glued to his, she slammed her elbow on his wrist then wrenched the weapon from him, tossing it to the feet of their allies.

The action opened her up just enough. Hiei's fist hit her sternum with enough force to send her careening into a tree. The leaves that fell turned into weapons, spun with Shinpi's wind, they sliced at Hiei relentlessly while she recovered herself. He accepted the attack, running forward as she tried to get to her feet. His punch nearly pulled the tree from the ground, the whole thing lifting an inch or two before settling back into the earth.

Shinpi wrapped her hand around his wrist, stealing back her chain but unable to tie to it around him before he swiped at her face with a roundhouse kick. When his next barrage of hits came, Shinpi tried to avoid the flames, forcing his attacks away by batting his wrists outward. Eventually, she had to give up on that tactic, as it slowed her down too much.

She landed a kick on the side of his head, and with it the pressure wave she'd demonstrated in the sewer tunnels, but to a lesser extent. Hiei stumbled, disoriented as his ear popped and began to ring, pain radiating down his jawbone and through his brain. Shinpi used the moment to slam her elbow into the other side of his face. His hand wrapped around her arm and he threw her to the ground before following her down. His wrapped his palms around her throat, squeezing as she fought to get him off of her. The heel of her hand pressed to the underside of his chin, nails raking down the side of his face.

He only bared his teeth in response, straddling her torso, tightening his hold.

Her hands fell from his face as she struggled to breath, trying to buck her hips and failing. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, drawing bloody rivulets down the skin before she finally attempted to just break his grip and pry his hands off of her.

He was glad she was trying. He knew, in some logical part of his brain, that if she trusted him less or if he'd been anyone else he'd be dead. He knew she had tools in her arsenal now that could have injured or killed him. But she was restraining herself just enough and so was he. When Genkai tapped his shoulder he released the woman in his grasp immediately, sliding to his feet. He offered a hand to her, and she accepted it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

Her hand covered his ear without hesitation and in a few minutes he could stand without leaning on her, his balance slowly recovering, the ringing gone. Shinpi recovered her breathing while she healed him but the angry red handprints remained around her throat. When she finished her task her hands delved into her pockets to hide the burns that were quickly becoming harder not to acknowledge.

"You're getting better about using your lower body." Shinpi confessed, sounding utterly condescending. "But you still have a long way to go."

"Do you always give advice to people who beat you?" Hiei demanded, eyebrow raised.

The look she shot him told him that his victory could very easily be taken away if he didn't tread carefully. Maybe one day they'd fight for real. No holds barred. It thrilled him to think about what she might to do him if she didn't have restrictions guiding her. Would she drop the skies themselves on him? Pull the air from his lungs? Plunge her knives into his chest or throat? So much potential for him to navigate and try to outsmart. He considered it all as he retrieved his sword.

"I should've left your eardrum busted." She huffed, turning her face away.

"I didn't ask you to heal me."

"I didn't want your face to scar." Her words were loose, meaningless.

Hiei reached up and touched his cheek, realizing she had healed the marks her nails had dug into his flesh. The rest of his cuts and furrows remained. His body ached.

But she'd healed his face.

"Scars mean nothing to me." Hiei crossed his arms, shrugged with the motion.

"I feel the same, but I'd rather not be the one to give them to you. It doesn't seem very friendly." Shinpi explained lightly. "Anyway, let me have it, Hiei. What is your single demand of me?"

He stared at her, then smirked.

She stared back, eyes narrowing. "Hiei. Tell me what you want from me."

He merely stretched his arms above him, then folded them behind his head and started to walk to the temple. She watched him pass, the pleasant glimmer gone and leaving only darkness in her gaze.

"Jaganshi. I'm not playing a game with you." Her sharp tone earned a glance from him.

"You said I could have anything I wanted from you." Hiei told her, turning partially to face her. "You never said I'd have to choose what that was right away."

Cobalt eyes widened, lips parting in surprise. Then came the anger. "You rotten bastard! It was clearly implied you'd need to have your mind made up! Now tell me what you want!"

"I think it'll be good for you to learn some patience and how to deal with not getting your way." Hiei turned and started walking again. "Not very becoming of a princess to throw tantrums every time the world doesn't revolve around her."

A knife bit into a tree directly beside him, narrowly missing his ear. Covering a thrill of anticipation tha curled through him, Hiei turned his head to glance back her, noting how it appeared she hadn't moved at all. Stuck in the same spot, hands still shoved into her pockets. But her eyes clearly claimed responsibility. Her glare sent another thrill through him. If he said just the right thing right now even Genkai's pull wouldn't be enough to stop Shinpi from barreling at him. The thought held a particularly sweet taste.

Instead, he said nothing and continued on his path.

"I'm going to kill him in his sleep." Shinpi muttered, eyes glued to Hiei's retreating back.

What a _bastard_. First, tossing out that title like it was his to use. Princess. _Fucking princess_. She was a knight, goddammit. A warrior. Secondly, him pulling this stunt with their wager. Withholding her punishment. What was he planning? Something devious, obviously. And then he had the audacity to give her his back? His _back_? They had just finished fighting! Who the hell did he think he was?

Her mind couldn't hold onto the anger for long. Frustration remained in her veins, tingling her nerves, tensing her muscles, but the anger dissipated. Hiei trusted her not to harm him, that's why he'd given her his back. It wasn't the blatantly disrespectful act her gut told her it was. That's why she hadn't actually aimed for him when she threw her knife. But it felt like a good enough excuse to seethe. Much better to be angry than to entertain the spark of delight she'd felt when he said she couldn't get rid of him. When he met her powers with his own, at the same level, it had thrilled her.

He looked like he'd felt the same in the moment, which was the only reason she didn't want him to see the damage he'd done to her hands. Would he come at her without restraint again if he could see the cracking, ruined skin of her palms? Probably not.

"Maybe I'll just settle for poisoning his dinner." Shinpi mumbled, her lips quirking up into a smile as she closed her eyes, a moment of peace washing over her. Then she glanced over at Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara all of whom stared at her with fascination and mild fear. "Non-fatally, of course."

"Get inside and get healed up." Genkai snapped at her. "Are you satisfied now?"

"Tch." Shinpi feigned feeling indignant. "Satisfaction from losing? Come now Genkai."

"Don't be a brat." The old woman warned her.

"I'm older than you." Shinpi reminded with a smirk, but then she nodded. "It was a decent enough fight though, wasn't it? He's coming along marvelously. By the end of this I might have actually helped him achieve a new level of power. That would be something."

She made her way to the temple, leaving the others behind.

"Wait, is she training Hiei?" Yusuke asked, flitting gaze from the Shinpi to Genkai.

But Genkai didn't answer immediately because she couldn't. She didn't know. Shinpi had never mentioned showing an interest in Hiei's progress before this moment.

"It would appear, at the very least, she'd invested in his growth. She has her reasons." Genkai responded the only way she could. Shinpi generally had a thought out analysis for her actions, each movement a piece of the overall strategy. It's why Genkai didn't play chess with her anymore.

But it was unusual for her to say something she'd obviously been holding close to her chest.

"I'm correct in assuming she could have won if she'd been in the mindset of actually killing Hiei, aren't I?" Kurama asked quietly. "At the end, when he was choking her, she very well could have done any number of moves that would have permanently injured him."

"Yes." Genkai acknowledged. "She could have taken his head off his shoulders with that kick if she'd had the mindset. At this point, I'm not sure what limits she's instilling on herself and what is in effect because of her human body."

"Well, I mean, you have to take into account her emotional state too." Kuwabara interjected, earning a few glances from the rest of them. "Shinpi's power comes from her emotions. She was able to do all that stuff when Miss Momozono died because she was angry and heartbroken. But she trusts Hiei and feels safe enough around him that she doesn't think he's going to kill her."

"Since when?" Yusuke frowned. "Before he left they were at each other's throats. Even when he came back she dressed him down in the middle of the street."

"I dunno man, I'm just telling you what I think." Kuwabara shrugged. "'Sides, she said she trusted him didn't she? When they were fighting."

"Ha, maybe Shizuru's out of luck and the little monster has the hots for Hiei now." Yusuke joked and Kuwabara offered a sigh of relief.

Even Kurama chuckled at the declaration, shaking his head. "I disagree. I feel as though maybe she sees the value of Hiei as an ally. Shizuru may, very much so, still be of interest."

"Guys, please stop trying to get Shinpi to date my sister. I don't know if my mom and dad can handle having another demon around." Kuwabara groaned. "They're like, crazy nice to Yukina but they ask so many questions and stuff. And Shinpi isn't anywhere near as calm or gentle. Could you imagine dad asking her what Demon World was like for her?"

"Yeah, she'd tell him all the gory details of being king." Yusuke barked a laugh.

They continued their conversation as they made their way toward the temple, and Genkai trailed far behind, wondering if Yusuke's joking declaration hadn't hit closer to the mark than they seemed to want to believe. While perhaps not romantic, it was entirely possible if not likely, that Shinpi's opinion of Hiei was changing for the better. Investing herself in another person, like she was with Kuwabara, might mean she was allowing connections to form with others again. She trained Kuwabara so that someone would be able to keep Yukina safe. All Genkai could hope for was that Hiei proved to be interesting enough to keep Shinpi invested in him, even after this Hiro situation was resolved.

And if that was the case…

They might've just found the ticket to not just bringing Shinpi onto the team but ultimately to saving her life.


	21. A Declaration

**A/N: Someone finally noticed a pattern I'd been establishing and I'm super stoked about it. Roseeyes pointed out that they'd been surprised that Hiei was getting so hands on with Shinpi during their fights (choking her nearly every skirmish) and I'm super glad someone finally said something about it because I was planning on explaining it this chapter!**

 **Paraphrased from the Britannica website:**

 _ **Submissive behavior**_ _:_ _ **in which one individual attempts through appeasement displays to avoid injury by a dominant member of its own species. Appeasement displays are commonly found in species that are well armed (**_ _ **e.g.,**_ _ **carnivores) and social. Sometimes the submissive animal exposes its most vulnerable spot, such as the throat, to the dominant animal.**_

 _ **Submissive displays, and their calming effect on the dominant animal, have evolved because they prevent fighting that might result in unnecessary injury to members of a**_ _ **social group**_ _ **dependent on each other for their welfare.**_

 **I've been pulling a lot of animal behavior into this story in various forms, mostly for Shinpi, but also for Hiei because I think demons might be calibrated slightly differently than humans. So, I've been using mammalian predator behaviors a lot, pulling from different species (Lions, wolves and so on).**

 **By the way, I have a playlist on Spotify for this story called The Reborn Forgotten. Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande is my song pick for this chapter, or at least part of it. I'd love any song recommendations you guys may have.**

* * *

Kazuma sat in front of Shinpi in the training room Hiei had found her in months before. Pouting, he collapsed his energy, sagging his shoulders with a heavy sense of failure.

"What's the point?" He stared at his large palms, still hot from calling his energy into them for half an hour.

Shinpi continued her practice of the same technique, opening her eyes to scan his expression. "To make calling your energy not second nature but first. It should always be easily assessable to you, as it is you."

"No, I mean, why are you even bothering? I can't hold a candle to you guys anymore." He sighed, slumping, refusing to meet her eyes. "You asked me to come up to see you and Hiei fight."

"Yes, and I asked you to reflect on what you saw. An easy assignment for a college student." Shinpi smiled at him softly, knowing he wouldn't glance at her. "You've had two weeks, are you finally at a conclusion?"

"Yeah, my conclusion is that you're wasting your time and this is bs." He huffed. "I mean, there were moments during that fight where even Yusuke and Kurama had problems tracking you two."

"And what was your first reaction to that?" Shinpi prodded, continuing to hold her ball of energy as if she could have done it all day.

He finally glanced at her, wondering if she could. Genkai had told them all she was far older than them. Hell, even Hichi herself had reminded them that Kurama was the only one older than her in the group. Why was she wasting her time on him?

"That I'm hopelessly behind." He muttered. "What were you trying to show me? Because all I feel is discouraged."

Shinpi finally let her energy peter out and folded her hands in her lap. "I was trying to show you your greatest weakness, Kazuma."

He frowned at her.

Then she leaned forward, one hand on the wooden floor between them, her other tapping a finger to his forehead.

"Your greatest weakness is not realizing your immense strength." She declared. "I've been the same. Frustrated that I wasn't progressing as quickly as I'd like. Stilted in my growth. Overwhelmed by the idea of failing. These things are lies."

"Are they though?"

"Let us recount what you saw in my fight with Hiei." Shinpi told him, shifting back to her half-lotus position. "You saw nothing, because we were too fast for you. You reacted by feeling hopelessly outmatched. Then you saw two fairly well matched apparitions battling for power, each one taking damage and dealing it."

"Yeah. It was kind of cool to see you get the best of Hiei." He admitted, but it wasn't a happy thought for long. "You're trying to train him too, right? I mean, he'd get a lot farther than I would. You're wasting valuable time on me."

"I waste nothing." Shinpi scolded him quietly, sighing. "Kazuma, do you know why I said that Hiei was showing improvement?"

"No."

"Because in our first fight he barely used his lower half at all. He was top heavy, easy to knock down, easy to evade. He demonstrated a grasp of the critique I gave him, applied it, and improved himself. Not only admirable for someone as stubborn as he is, but also necessary." Shinpi spoke quietly. "You think that the rest of us are better than you, but we are not. We merely adapt to our situation."

"You beat Mukuro."

"By the skin of my teeth and her good humor." Shinpi assured him. "Had she'd been in the mindset, she'd have slaughtered me."

"Okay, so you weren't trying to show me I'm useless. So what then?" He demanded.

"We all have areas of weakness." She impressed this on him, staring into his eyes. "What separates the great from the dead is how we handle them."

He furrowed his brow.

"Your mindset is going to get you killed before your lack of strength ever will." She went on. "When you see an opponent who outmatches you, you think immediately of failure. You should, instead, focus on why they are capable of beating you and how to even the odds."

He frowned outright, thinking for a few minutes.

"Has anyone told you about how we fought Sensui?" He asked quietly. "When we were stuck, helpless, in Uraotoko, Sensui told Yusuke he was predictable. He could name all his moves and it was like the guy was invincible. I thought it didn't matter. I thought we'd still win, because, I mean, we always won. But we didn't. Not at first. I was the only one who didn't see what was happening. I never want to underestimate an opponent like that again."

Shinpi reached out and flicked him between the eyebrows. He squawked, glaring at her. She did it again. And again. Until Kuwabara raised a hand and grabbed her wrist, stopping her. So she used her other hand. He grabbed that one too, before she had the chance to flick him.

"What the hell?" He groused. "I'm trying to tell you something serious and you're sitting here playing games."

Shinpi withdrew her hands with a smile, and laughed.

"Are you trying to garner my pity, Kazuma?" She asked him with a bright expression. "How silly for you to make such excuses."

"It's not an excuse!"

"You're overthinking and underthinking all at once. Remarkable." Shinpi teased him. "When I flicked you the first time, what did you think?"

"Geesh, she's annoying." He muttered darkly.

"And the next time?"

"She better stop."

"And then you stopped me. When I went to use my left hand, you stopped that to because you had established a pattern and knew how to break it." She lifted a finger. "You need to see a problem, identify the source and craft a solution, Kazuma. Do not wallow in your fears. You'll have time for regrets when you're dead."

"What does that even mean, Hichi?" He complained. "I don't get it."

"It means," she paused before smiling at him with a sly expression, "that speed is rarely an asset when you can't use your feet or when you meet a wall."

He blinked at her, then stared, then blinked again. Then his eyes widened.

"Follow my practice, Kazuma, and I'll show you how you can beat anyone. I'll teach you how to see as I do." She gestured to her temple. "I didn't win any wars through sheer strength alone."

He nodded vigorously and then dove back into his practice with gusto, making her smile broaden.

* * *

"Shinpi, it's time to spar." Hiei walked into the reading room where the woman leaned against Kurama's legs, sitting on the floor while the redhead sat in one of the armchairs. They'd adopted the position as habit over the last few weeks. Both of them had their noses buried in books. "Come on."

"One moment, Hiei, I need to finish this page." She spoke calmly, eyes scanning over the page in question. "What's the goal today?"

"Win."

"I'll be over in a moment." She lifted her attention to him.

Crimson eyes scanned toward Kurama, narrowed slightly, then Hiei nodded and turned and left the room without another word. Long fingers skimmed over the top of Shinpi's hair, causing her to turn and crane her head to look up at the fox demon's face.

"Do your best to avoid handprints today. Yusuke has been getting quite agitated about the bruises Hiei's leaving on you." He warned her evenly. "He wants to discuss it with Hiei."

"Thank you for playing interference." Shinpi nodded. "I've been trying to explain to him that I'm never in true danger, but he doesn't seem to quite get it."

"It might be more helpful to tell him that you're intentionally allowing Hiei to choke you." Kurama pointed out. "Hearing you're capable of breaking the hold is a far cry different than hearing that you're baiting the interaction in the first place."

Shinpi heaved a sigh. "I suppose I just assumed that he understood that no one gets close to me without me desiring it. I'll talk to him in no uncertain words and explain that by allowing Hiei to force a display of submission from me, it calms him down. Hiei very much so wants me to rely on him for my safety, something I'm not truly interested in, but by allowing this he gets to feel like he's the dominant being and that I need him. It makes him happy. I doubt Hiei even realizes it's what he's doing, but I'll play into it because it keeps the tension to a minimum."

She looked toward the door as she trailed off, a small smile pulling at her lips.

"You know, if his desire to protect wasn't buried under layers of confusion and years of being denied any affection, the displays would probably be less…"

"Brutal?"

"Anyway, I'll break him of the habit eventually. But for now it also builds up his confidence. Every victory over me fuels his strength." Shinpi waved her hand through the air. "I should get going."

"You should still avoid allowing Hiei to lay his hands on you until you speak to Yusuke." Kurama told her firmly. "To avoid unnecessary complications."

Shinpi nodded as she got to her feet, stretching her arms above her head. "As usual, you've made a correct assessment, Kurama."

* * *

"…So, they're getting along." Koenma bobbed his head once as he looked at Genkai where she stood before his desk, hands behind her back.

"It's more than that. Shinpi is opening up to him in ways she isn't with the others yet. While she's taken Kuwabara under her wing, she still keeps herself fairly closed around him. Kurama and her have a different relationship, she confides in him but it's more that she uses him to navigate the group with the least amount of peril. Yusuke she sees too infrequently to establish a strong bond at this point. But Hiei, she's inciting some sort of relationship with him. She trusts him within reason, has told him personal information about herself and has allowed him to see parts of her she's kept hidden from the others." Genkai explained. "It's imperative we foster their friendship or whatever it is to our best ability."

"To keep her on our side?" Koenma guessed, leaning back in his chair.

"To keep her alive." Genkai spoke sternly. "Amon-Shinpi could be a great asset to Spirit World, but she has to survive to accomplish that. In order to survive what's coming she'll need-"

"A reason. You want to make sure the ties between her and the boys are made of steel before she faces Hiro so that she won't risk breaking them." Koenma frowned. "I thought you said Yukina would be enough."

"That was before the idiot started to train Kuwabara." Genkai heaved an annoyed sigh. "Every time I've tried to give her a reason to keep living she's undermined it. But, with Hiei, it seems that she's fueled by curiosity. She _wants_ to see where he'll end up because he keeps her on her toes. I'm hoping that'll be enough."

Koenma nodded. "And Hiei is alright with this?"

"Her desire to die disturbs him. I think he sees himself in her, a little, when he lost himself after Sensui." Genkai shrugged. "He wants her to be strong enough to give him a run for his money, but I think he also feels that she's wasting her potential on guilt. His opinion of her is high enough for him for him to tolerate some kind of relationship."

"What do you want me to do?" Koenma eyed her. "What can I do that you can't? You're around them more than I am."

"I want you to partner them. Make them rely on each other. Force them to forge those bonds of steel." Genkai demanded. "The sooner the better."

"You want me to put Shinpi on a case? After what she did?" Koenma laughed. "My track record with Spirit Detectives is bad enough without including a demon. Not to mention, you know I'm intentionally not endorsing her as a member of the team. Her usefulness is better served outside the regulations of this office."

He opened his hands to encompass his office.

"Don't endorse her. Use her. She's got talents the others don't have. Maybe Yusuke won't have to cross dress for cases anymore." Genkai raised an eyebrow and smirked as Koenma thought about it, a sleezy smile cracking over his face. Then he caught himself, nodding. "She'd make a perfect liaison."

"I think I have the perfect case." He pushed the button for the intercom on his desk. "Jorge, bring me that file Botan was talking about yesterday."

"I'll have the two of them report to Botan when it's done." Genkai assured him. "Imagine being the one who rehabilitated Amon-Shinpi, bringing her to Spirit World's side. Her loyalty is infallible once given. This is a worthwhile investment."

"I'll be sure to pitch it that way when I'm inevitably questioned about this." Koenma snorted.

…

Shinpi held the file folder Botan had given her, scanning through it quickly then closing it with a snap.

"I'm not a member of your little squad." She handed the file back. "And I doubt Spirit World wants to risk putting me in the field after my little episode a month ago."

Hiei made a sound of disparagement. " _Little_ episode."

Blue eyes cut to him from the side, one brow arching as Shinpi stared at him. Then she turned her gaze forward again, assessing Botan's bright smile.

"Oh, come now Amon-Shinpi!" Botan handed the folder back and clapped her hand so together. "We need _your_ expertise on this one. Koenma's orders! You're to be a liaison working with Hiei to bring this one in."

"Why?" Hiei demanded, snatching the file from under Shinpi's arm and quickly perusing it. "Oh. Good luck with getting her to agree to this one."

"I'll do it." Shinpi stated firmly, eyes narrowed against Hiei's declaration.

"Perfect!" Botan beamed at them both then held her hand out and her oar popped into existence from seemingly nowhere. "We'll leave it to you two then! After you're done just let me know and I'll come and gather your report."

"You're so easy." Hiei smirked at Shinpi holding the file out to her. "You'll do anything to spite me."

"You give yourself too much credit." She huffed, accepting the folder and cracking it open again. "I'm only doing this to foist myself into Koenma's good graces so maybe he'll lift all these damn restrictions. I'm growing tired of being babysat."

"Maybe you shouldn't have dropped a tornado in the middle of a city." Hiei continued to smirk at her.

"Maybe I should drop one here." She tossed back, not bothering to look up with the cold warning. "A demon trafficker who conducts most of his business in clubs. We'll need to coerce him where he's most comfortable, that means we'll need to blend in. And you'll have to leave your sword at home."

"I don't need it to get information from someone like him." Hiei assured her, clenching his fists.

"Perhaps we try this my way first?" She suggested, donning a dull expression.. "If that fails then we'll turn to violence."

Hiei rolled his eyes.

"He's human, Hiei. You can't risk losing your temper with him." She sighed, running her fingers through her bangs then the length of her hair.

"I have _some_ restraint." Hiei pointed out darkly.

"Enough?" She wondered and the question pressed his lips together. "My way first, then if I fail you can do whatever you want."

"Fine." Hiei snapped. "But don't forget which one of us is actually in charge of this, _liaison_. If I deem your mission a failure I'm taking over whether you like it or not."

"Sir, yes sir." Shinpi tossed a sarcastic salute his way. "I'll need to go home to prepare. His usual hunting grounds don't open until nine. Meet me then at my home and we'll make our way over."

"If they open at nine, why wouldn't we want to be there right then?" Hiei demanded, arms crossing over his chest.

"Oh, darling. No one goes to a club right when they open." She patted his shoulder with a look of pity. "You should really get out more."

His sneer made her chuckle as she withdrew her hand.

* * *

Hiei arrived at Shinpi's door promptly at nine. He frowned at the state of the house, noting the cracks in the walls from where it had shifted on its foundation weeks before. The lawn was still a warzone, pox marked with a crater and furrows of upturned dirt. It seemed she'd made no attempt to hire the contractors she'd said she would.

Another task he needed to speak to her about. On his list somewhere under _Why didn't you tell me you had a child?_ This night might prove the opportunity he'd been searching for. They'd be alone, in fairly private circumstances. It would be the perfect time to initiate the conversation.

He decided against it at the sound of her voice, the light in her eyes when she greeted him.

It could wait for another day. He convinced himself it was for the sake of the case. An upset Shinpi would prove problematic.

"You clean up nice." Shinpi tossed the compliment to Hiei with a sly smile, eyes roving over his clothes.

Hiei stared at her, unsure of how to respond to her. That lit up expression gave him pause, and he covered his confusion by narrowing his eyes. "You've seen me in clothes before."

"Yes, but I've never seen you dressed up." She pointed out, reaching over and adjusted the collar of his garnet colored button down. "You look lovely in this shade."

Hiei watched her hand withdraw back to her side warily. He almost commented on her outfit. It suited her, in a way. Well, in the way that form fitting outfits suited the bodies of women. The skirt followed the shape of her hips and thighs without any sense of decency. None of the other women in the group dressed that way, at least not that Hiei had ever seen. And her blouse, a white number with billowing sleeves and a deep v-cut that showed more of her than she normally displayed. Her Infinity Chain looped around her neck, down between her breasts and disappeared under her shirt, not before hinting that the metal circled flesh he could see. Her hair done up in top knot that spilled curls down her back. Makeup coloring her cheeks, lips, eyes.

Instead of remarking on any of that Hiei found himself saying, "Those shoes again?"

Whether it was his observation or his tone, Shinpi rolled her eyes.

"The heels complete the look. Don't worry, I've been practicing running in them." She assured him. "And if I can't keep up with you, just leave me behind. I'm practically armed to the teeth."

Hiei looked her over again. "With what?"

"Anything is a weapon in my hands, Hiei. You should remember that." Her smile seemed to prove her point because it definitely made him feel like he was being held at knife point. Then in a conspiratorial whisper she added. "Plus, I have two knives in the soles of my heels."

She slid a shoe off and displayed the underneath to him to demonstrate, then slid the shoe back onto her foot, frowning when it didn't slide on immediately, the straps not cooperating.

"I hate these things." She seethed the admittance.

"Idiot." Hiei rolled his eyes, kneeling to slide high heel onto her foot, making quick work of the clasp. "Why are you wearing them if you hate them?"

"Where else am I going to stash my knives in this getup?" She demanded.

From his position by her feet, Hiei had to look up to speak to her, his hand resting on her calf. She had a point. It's not like she could hide a thigh sheath under that leather-like skirt. Maybe under her shirt?

"From experience I can say your body is as dangerous as any knife, Shinpi." Hiei told her, and even he seemed surprised by his words. He stood up quickly, stepping back. "Let's go. I don't want to deal with this all night."

"Lead the way, handsome." She gestured toward her door and followed Hiei out, each step that she took sure and unwavering.

The heels have her height over him, something he didn't want to mention. How she could function in them was beyond him. But the idea of the small blades tucked through the heel and following the underside of the shoe swam back to him, his mind replaying her deft fingers producing the blade and then hiding it away again. In another life, she'd have made one hell of an effective assassin. Maybe she'd been one already.

Hiei glanced over to her, tracing over her appearance again.

All this effort on her part, and it was to be wasted gathering intel from a piece of human scum.

It was almost unfair.

He tried to shake the thought free, the movement of his head earning Shinpi's attention.

"You don't approve?" She guessed, eying him with that neutral expression he'd come to understand was a mask. "I promise, Hiei, every piece of this outfit was chosen to meet a need. It's all practical in the scheme of tonight's adventure."

"No wearing a bra is practical now?" Hiei looked away from her, eyes focusing down the street as he berated himself not for only noticing but commenting on the absence of the garment. "You're normally at least a little demure. It's almost as though you're taking advantage of the situation to get away with what you normally couldn't."

"I can wear what I want, whenever I want, for whomever I want." Shinpi assured him darkly. "This isn't my first time seducing information from a man, Hiei. There's a specific type of woman these sorts enjoy and tonight I'll have to be her."

"Her. You're deadly enough as yourself. Any man who doesn't appreciate that deserves whatever pain you give them." Hiei sneered.

"Careful darling," Shinpi brushed her nails down the back of his neck and it sent a shiver down his spine, "you're being awfully charming again. Better say something insulting to even it out."

"I won't cover for the truth." Hiei growled at her, brushing her hand away from him.

"Tell me, Hiei, is it that you don't approve of the outfit or that you don't approve of its purpose tonight?" Shinpi asked him coolly, fingers moving to play idly with the chain where it trailed down her chest.

Hiei watched her hand for a moment, then averted his attention. He didn't answer her. Why bother? She'd already drawn her own conclusion before she even asked the question. They walked on in silence for several minutes, Hiei with his hands in his pockets and Shinpi playing with her chain.

"I don't like your tie." Shinpi announced and it made Hiei spin to the side with a glare. "It doesn't suit you."

"Who asked you?"

"No one." She nodded to his accusation. "Kurama dressed you, didn't he?"

"Shut up. This will be a lot easier on both of us if you save your interrogations for our target."

"He chose a lovely outfit, but he shaped you into his form, not your own. Kurama, he can pull off a top button done up and a tie where it's meant to be." Shinpi slid her hand under the black silk material of Hiei's tie, then hooked one finger over the knot, tugging on it. "You're not a formal man, Hiei."

Hiei tried not to swallow or even breath as he grew still, because Shinpi's expression had shifted from neutrality to something darker and more dangerous and he wasn't sure what to do with it. So he allowed her to adjust his tie, loosening it, and didn't stop her from undoing his top two buttons. Honestly, it felt better this way, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Perfection. There's a man I'd sell my soul for." She adjusted his collar and offered him a smile that glinted in the streetlights so that he had to question its meaning. "Anything you'd adjust about me?"

Hiei pulled back from her hands with a frown and started walking again, head spinning with confusion. Was she practicing on him? Is that what this was? A warm up exercise before they met their mark? That would make sense. He had to admit, if this was her during practice she would lethal during the actual mission.

* * *

"Our mark uses English to make his deals. But he does know and speak Japanese, so, let me do the talking." Shinpi kept her voice quiet as she spoke to Hiei. "I'll let you know when we've gotten what we need."

"Fine. Don't waste our time." Hiei warned her. "I don't want to be here all night. I hate places like this."

"Places for people to interact and get physical? Shocking." Her tone dripped with sarcasm despite her smile. "Just let me handle this since you're not the type for subtle persuasion."

"Hn. You know me so well." Hiei shot back at her, rolling his eyes.

Shinpi led him to the bar, ordering herself and him a drink. Her elbows on the counter, she bent at the waist and lifted onto the toes of her heels, scanning the bar with expert precision. Even with the easy going smile Hiei could've made her for the predator she was. It lined her muscled calves and unwavering attention. After she'd acquired their drinks, a generic but higher end beer for him and a vodka soda for her, she led him to a booth.

"What are we doing?" Hiei demanded quietly, glaring at the throng of dancers clogging up the main floor of the club.

"We are hunting our prey." Shinpi soothed him quietly. "Have some faith in me, Hiei."

He sneered at her words but nodded nonetheless. Koenma and Genkai had chosen to believe she was the perfect candidate for this mission. He could trust in that truth too. After a few sips and lounging, Shinpi signaled one of the cocktail waitresses and ordered a drink, directing to a man in a dress shirt talking up a woman at the bar. When given the drink and directed to who ordered it, the man glanced their way.

Hiei tensed and beside him Shinpi seemed to force herself to relax. She lifted her glass and offered a knowing smile. The man sauntered over, glancing at with a raised eyebrow.

"He looks tense." The man spoke in proper English, his accent smooth and crisp.

"He's the dragon who guards me, it's his job to be at the ready." Shinpi responded in a similar accent, her English perfect. "His only fault is that he doesn't understand a word of English."

She extended her hand to the man, knuckles up, and he slid into the booth as he accepted her offer, placing a brief kiss to her knuckles.

"Your English is very good." He complimented, scanning his eyes over her. "A woman of superb taste, I see."

"In all things." Shinpi agreed, adjusting herself to angle toward him, knees crossed which forced her skirt to ride higher onto her thighs. With a smile she sipped her drink. "I have a policy not to conduct business once my glass is empty so I'll be brief. I heard you were the man to see if I was looking for a certain type of companionship."

"Told by whom?" The man scooted toward her, obvious in his intentions as he slid his gaze down her.

Hiei sipped his beer for something to do, his attention on the man. Shinpi had her knives and her chain, yet he'd had to come unarmed. His sword would have drawn attention. So he sat, fists curled against his legs, and he watched. It's not like he could understand a thing she was saying at the moment, so he had to pay attention to how she spoke, to her posture, the subtle differences those who didn't know her may have missed.

Shinpi dropped the name of someone else in the file she'd memorized throughout the day. When the man scanned over her again she sighed.

"I can see you're not interested in helping me curate my superb taste. A shame. I suppose I'll have to contact someone else." She shook her head, a disappointed scowl settling onto her face as she set her drink down. "Enjoy your drink."

"Wait, wait." The man put a hand on her knee. "In this business you can never be too careful. What, exactly, are you looking for?"

"Something small, elegant, but hardy." Shinpi ran her finger over the rim of her glass, watching the man while Hiei scanned the club. "My dragon needs something to devour."

The man glanced at Hiei, who offered a stoic stare in return before going back to looking over the club. The finger's on Shinpi's leg crept higher onto her thigh. She sipped her drink.

"I think I have the perfect piece." The man scooted closer and started to speak. Explaining in loose details a few younger female demons he'd acquired. He told her about their personalities, their looks, rated their attractiveness for her without being asked.

It took a lot of effort not to slam his head down against the tabletop, but Shinpi managed to cover the urge with a coy smile. Equally difficult was not breaking the fingers playing against the bared skin of her thigh. But she managed, continuing with their conversation as if she didn't have a care in the world.

He gave her everything she needed, a date and place to meet where she could inspect the _merchandise_. A joke about how maybe her bodyguard could test the girls for durability. Shinpi nearly snorted, trying to imagine Hiei in such a position. He'd be disgusted with her for dragging him into this charade. For even having to pretend to be interested. She swallowed her own misgivings and confirmed the details of their meeting.

"You know, you look like the sort of woman who needs to be devoured herself." The man slid his hand up further, and it took all her reserved not to physically recoil from the unwanted contact.

But she couldn't blow their cover. There were at least three young women who needed her to endure so they could get rescued. She could tolerate this slimeball if it meant saving them.

Shinpi edged closer to Hiei, her shoulder overlapping his from behind. The fact she actually pressed against him made him glanced at her. She'd invaded his personal space on several occasions but this was the first time she'd ever gone out of her way to touch him this way. Her expression remained light, airy, the sort of smile someone donned when they didn't understand what you said and were going to laugh anyway. A decent actress, this woman, but that wasn't what bothered him.

It was the underlying tension running through her body. Easily missed if someone didn't know her.

But Hiei did know her, and he knew she'd never press herself against him this way unless she had to. When it came to proverbial corners, she had backed herself into his. Glancing down, he caught sight of the fingers teasing the hem of her skirt, the hand resting possessively on her thigh.

Her fist tightened against the upholstery of their shared seat, knuckles pressed down into the plastic fabric as if she didn't trust herself to do anything else with her hands.

Hiei moved his attention to their mark, the man who so casually laid claim to a woman he could never dream of possessing. The arrogance of these men, seriously. Shinpi was, at her peak, at least an A-class demon. Even now, subdued and sequestered to a human form she sat at a B-class if he had to guess. And this roach of a being thought he could just touch her? That she'd what, bow to his will because he smiled at her and called her pretty?

Hiei had once seen Shinpi make a man nearly cry in a Starbucks lobby for hitting on her.

Yet now, she did nothing. She sat and she laughed when it was appropriate and she allowed this creature to snake his oily fingers over her thigh like it was his to begin with.

Fuck that.

 _Did you get what we need?_ Hiei pressed the thought against her mind without even bothering to ask if it was alright. The sooner this was done the better. For both their sakes.

Blue eyes shifted to his, a subtle nod, then a charming smile and gracious laugh that rang a little too loudly in the booth. Hiei glanced back at the beady eyed bastard trying to seduce the woman at his side. Tilting his beer to his mouth in uncharacteristic fervor, Hiei drained the liquid from the glass then licked his lips. Without any warning, he reached out and wrapped his hand around the back of the man's head and drug him into a fervent kiss, Shinpi stuck between them.

Shinpi gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. The man sat shocked for a second before sputtering and pulling out of Hiei's tightened grip with more effort than he was used to exerting, the demon was sure.

"The next time you try to touch what doesn't belong to you, just remember, there are plenty of us out here who can _and will_ do the same to you." Hiei growled at him before grabbing Shinpi by the wrist and tugging her after him out of the booth.

"I didn't know she was taken, sorry!" The man balked, wiping at his mouth. "Jesus man."

"She's not mine. She's nobodies. Shinpi belongs to herself." Hiei leaned forward over the table and sneered. "And if you so much as think about touching her again, I'll know. And I will hurt you. I don't harbor her bleeding heart for idiots like you. I'd rather just extinguish you all."

"That's enough. Let's go." Shinpi touched his back lightly, frowning slightly. "He gets it."

Hiei wasn't so sure, but even as he narrowed his eyes he pulled back.

"Like I said, my dragon is always ready to act in whatever manner I need him to." Shinpi told the man in English, no smile. Then she nodded to Hiei.

With a glare etched into his face, he stalked from the bar with Shinpi at his side, neither of them touching now.

And honestly, she was glad he seemed to be trapped in his thoughts because it meant he wasn't paying attention to her. She wasn't sure what he'd see on her face, but she knew it wouldn't be good. Not with the way she was blushing, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she replayed the vehemence in Hiei's voice as he defended her honor. Not for his sake, but for her own. When was the last time anyone bothered to stand up for her in a situation like that?

When was the last time someone cared more about her autonomy than their stake in her power?

Swallowing, she eyed Hiei's back and rolled her lips together to wet them. The scene had lit a fire in her blood that had nothing to do with embarrassment or anger. She liked the way Hiei spoke about her. She enjoyed his desire to defend her without equating himself with the offended party. The way his voice sounded when he was angry was so…alluring when it wasn't directed at her. A searing pang of hunger that had nothing to do with eating hit her and she fought it back.

When Hiei finally glanced over his shoulder at her, she had managed to school her expression into something that didn't quite betray her thoughts.

Hiei huffed, rolling his eyes away from her. "I didn't do that because I thought you couldn't. I did it because I knew you wouldn't."

"Hmm?" Shinpi tilted her head, stepping up to his side.

"I know you're capable of handling the situation. I also know you'd rather not jeopardize the mission. I don't give a shit about the mission." Hiei declared. "No one has a right to your body."

"No one but you." Shinpi mused, raising her eyebrows.

Hiei shot her a look that clearly told her he didn't appreciate her snide remarks at the moment but she hadn't meant it as a jibe.

More of an offering.

But it was _probably_ better he didn't actually know that at this point.

"I'll admit, I'm a little jealous of our friend back there. Whose thigh do I have to touch to get you punish me?" Shinpi teased him, checking his shoulder with her own and just as before he misread her flirtation.

Now this could be interesting.

"Shut up." Hiei sighed. "I only did that because I wanted him to understand what he was doing."

"Of course. Thank you." The sincerity in her voice, coupled with the quick bowing of her head, made Hiei glance down her once with heavy skepticism. "I'm glad we're on the same side, Hiei."

"Hn."

"I admit, having an ally as handsome as you might be difficult, but I'm willing to endure." Shinpi went on, and watched him roll his eyes even though she hadn't shifted her tone at all. The sincerity was still there. It seemed Hiei was just obligated to ignore it. Her arm looped through his and she felt him stiffen in her grasp but he didn't shake her off. "I wouldn't want to face these missions with anyone but you."

"Kurama would have handled this more aptly." Hiei let his shoulders fall slightly. "And you two make a charming couple. It would have been more believable and probably saved you the discomfort you experienced."

"But Kurama and I lack this particular chemistry. This is something I share with you and you alone." Shinpi smiled at him, warm and bright and honest. "If anything, Kurama and I get along because we are so similar, but that's also a hindrance."

"He adores you." Hiei nearly choked on the words for the bitterness they left on his tongue.

"And I him, but it's an adoration that is built on mutual understanding." She pointed out. "It's platonic at heart."

Hiei eyed her. "And we're not platonic?"

"I suppose that's up to you, isn't it?" She winked at him and it made him frown.

Seriously, this was too much fun. How long could she continue to be honest with him while he took it for lies? Her flirtations were falling on deaf ears and she wondered when he'd tune into her frequency. If he tuned in at all.

"No one appreciates me the way you do." Shinpi softened her tone and released him, clasping her hands behind her back.

He watched her for a second, suddenly wondering if he'd missed something important. It took a scant second for him to decide he hadn't. Shinpi was a decent enough actress, she'd proven that tonight. And she flirted effortlessly, even when she didn't seem to realize she was doing it. He had no doubt she was putting on airs to tease him, some weird quirk of hers using this as a way to show she'd grown more comfortable with him tonight. Not that he minded, because the way her skin felt against his when she held his arm was tolerable. But he wouldn't take advantage of it.

And he definitely wouldn't pursue it.

* * *

"We managed to rescue not just the three demonesses, but also found the compound where the others were being held. Twelve in total. The extraction team Koenma sent already handled them and the culprits. The mission was a brilliant success, in my opinion." Shinpi explained.

"A success? You injured three human guards." Matsuma snorted as he raked his eyes down Shinpi. "Did you even show restraint or does an abomination like you even know what that means?"

"We acted with due force." Shinpi stated firmly. "Non-lethal combat. There were guns. We were forced to disarm the guards not just for our safety but that of the hostages."

"Your safety is meaningless. Who cares if a few demons get shot?" Matsuma glared at her. "Koenma is out of his mind of trusting a monster like you. First you show up, in a human body like you have any right to be alive in the first place. Then you get a human woman killed. You leveled a city. You attacked without restraint or regard for the life around you. Now you make up pale excuses to accommodate your thirst for violence. You're nothing but a pathetic animal and Koenma should have never allowed you to walk free. If it were up to me, you'd be in chains like the dog you are. You should have been executed the minute that woman died because of you."

Hiei glanced as Shinpi, who remained quiet throughout the ordeal. Every word thrown at her glanced off her to any outside speculation, but he could see them when they hit home. This idiot was getting to her more than she'd every show him, more than she'd ever admit to anyone. She was enduring it, keeping her lips pressed into a line, her chin tucked just slightly, shoulders tense and pulled down as she kept her arms behind her back.

"One more word and I'm going to feed you your own tongue."

The brusque interruption brought Matsuma to silence. Hiei didn't move, but he made sure everyone was looking at him before he continued.

"Shinpi has gone above and beyond the expectations we set for her at every turn. She's an exceptional soldier. The only reason she's not choking you to death is because she cares more about how the team is perceived than she does herself." Hiei expressed, his tone dry. "She doesn't deserve your abuse and I won't tolerate it."

Blue eyes moved over to him, eyebrows pulled down in an expression clearly meant to ask him if he had lost his mind.

He hadn't.

"I guess criminals really do flock to each other." Matsuma grunted at him, clearly unimpressed.

Hiei stiffened, eyes narrowing. "I'd rather be a felon than a coward who waits for his enemies to be chained up before he beats them."

Shinpi raised her eyebrows, glancing between the two men. Botan also looked between them, worrying her lip.

"Hiei, this isn't the way." Botan crept up to his side, bending down slightly to keep her voice quiet. "Koenma is going to-"

"Like I care." Hiei snapped at her, shrugging away. "I've wanted a piece of this idiot for months."

"I accept that challenge." Matsuma toed up to the fire demon, sneering. "It'd be a pleasure for me to put you in your place. Just like I did with your little friend."

"Shinpi had you on the ropes at her weakest, I'm not really concerned." Hiei tossed back, glaring up at his opponent.

"Matsuma, leave." The order came out firmly, Shinpi's tone entirely even and her expression carefully neutral. "Like it or not, Hiei is a member of Koenma's team. Threatening him in any capacity is beyond your rights. Hiei, stand down."

Hiei glanced at her, eyes narrowed, ready to argue. But she'd shifted, her chin raising and the fire in her eyes aimed entirely at Matsuma. The other man glared at her, his mouth open and poised to throw out some insult or threat.

"Botan, escort Matsuma back to Spirit World. Given the situation I believe it would be better for Hiei and I to offer our reports through other, more dependable channels." Shinpi continued, turning her attention to the ferry woman. "If Koenma has questions, you can direct him to Hiei."

"You do not get to give me orders." Matsuma started to raise his voice and the glare she delivered on him made him stop talking. "You or your piece of trash fr-"

The cutting glare Shinpi delivered on him cut him off midsentence, the words sliding back down his throat and settling uneasily in his stomach.

"Say whatever you want about me, but you will address Hiei with the respect he deserves. He's done more for Spirit World and Human World than you ever have." She warned him, no longer neutral. The chill in her voice could have formed frost. "If I were you, I'd tread very carefully with my next words, Matsuma."

And Hiei was left with a strange sense of pride in her as Matsuma followed her command. The SDF patrolmen glanced back at the fire demon but carefully avoided speaking again. Botan went with him, casting studious and curious glances over her shoulder at the two demons left behind in the field. Neither of them spoke again until the others were gone.

"Shinpi." Hiei started and she raised a hand to cut him off.

"Don't use me to advance your petty disagreements with Spirit World again." She told him.

"That's not why I did it." He turned to walk back to the temple. "I just didn't appreciate him speaking that way to a member of my team."

Silence met his answer and he dared to look over at her. She'd fallen into step with him quickly, her eyes on the sky.

"Thank you." The words seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth, but she offered them despite it. "Although, again, I'd like to point out I'm not on Koenma's payroll and therefore not a member of your team."

"I'm surprised by your knack for diplomacy. Your intervention probably saved us trouble." Hiei remarked easily, trying to keep the compliments to a minimum.

"A necessary skill." She assured him. "One that doesn't come naturally to me. I'd rather have fought him, honestly. It's much more satisfying."

Hiei smirked, nodding his agreement. "Something we can agree on, finally."

"By the way, about your valiant defense of me. You said I don't deserve anyone's abuse. Does that mean I don't get to look forward to yours?" A grin threatened to appear on her lips, her tone turning teasing. "I'll miss our banter."

Hiei allowed her to see his smirk, something near teasing on his face. "Obviously not. Foolish woman, can't you read between the lines? I'm an implied exception."

Her responding grin made him avert his gaze. It was too warm, too friendly. He wasn't prepared for it or the way it made him feel. To an outsider they must've seemed like old friends, he thought, bickering in the same way he did with Kurama. Not rivals. Not a parolee and her officer.

The idea didn't leave a sour coating on his tongue.

"So you're saying we're exclusive." She raised an eyebrow, her tone entirely teasing.

"Exclusive?" Hiei frowned. Where had she pulled that word from?

"As rivals. If you're the only exception, wouldn't that make us exclusive rivals since you insist we aren't friends and I insist we aren't teammates?" Shinpi nodded, gesturing with one hand. "I'm a jealous woman, Hiei. I take these sorts of things very seriously. I better not see you out there menacing some other poor demon when you're supposed to be menacing me."

Hiei grabbed her arm, yanking her roughly to face him and she didn't seem to enjoy the experience. Her face screwed up in her surprise. He didn't care.

"Trust me. There is no one out there I want to fight more than you." He assured her, enjoying the discomfort that crossed her eyes followed by a light blush coloring her cheeks. "But can you be truly exclusive with Hiro still alive?"

She surprised him by moving to her tiptoes, pulling the arm he held tightly back so that he had to move forward. Her voice a whisper against his ear he could tell she wasn't smiling anymore. It wrung a heat in his blood he embraced full heartedly.

"Hiro is as an enemy. He's as good as dead. But he's not good enough to be my rival, he never was."

A shiver ran down Hiei's spine, excitement tugging at his lips. He tugged her arm to the side, forcing her to list to the left and then snaked one of his legs between hers, hooking it around her calf and sending them both to the ground. He had her pinned in mere seconds, wrists by her ears as he trapped her beneath him. She bucked her hips upwards, arching her back and throwing off his balance just enough to roll them. Crouched over him, she pressed her forearm into his throat, face hovering over his.

"I'm going to savor every moment I get to beat you." Hiei swallowed, the movement plain under her arm. "I will draw every last trick out of you before this is done. I won't stop until I'm satisfied that I've beaten you at your best."

The darkness that crept into her expression seemed to have little to do with anger. Arrogance coupled with satisfaction played in her eyes, on her mouth.

"That might take a while." Shinpi's smooth tone adding to the heat in Hiei's blood, making him all the hungrier for the fight brewing between them. "Sure you have the stamina?"

He broke her hold on him and launched himself after her, thoroughly enjoying every near-miss of her dancing away from his clutching fingers. The faster she moved the more effort he pushed into catching her. Oh and when he did, he was going to show her.

He'd show her that she had no reason to doubt his claims.

No one would challenge her like he would. She'd be hard pressed to find someone as dedicated to pushing her and beating her. And until the day came that they finally settled the score between them, he'd keep her around. He'd keep idiots like Matsuma at bay.

Because in a way her moronic logic was correct. They were exclusive. Her energy, her challenges, her best, it all belonged to him. No one else was half as worthy of it. And he'd show her by coming at her with everything. Never going easy on her. Never settling for anything less than the most she had to offer. So he hoped she was enjoying her little game of dodge for the moment, because it wasn't going to last long and he planned to make her pay for it. Not that he really thought she'd mind. Shinpi had her own reasons for agreeing to this little arrangement.

And from the look in her eyes, she was looking forward to this just as much as he was.

It was because of that glow in her cheeks, that spark in her eyes that Hiei decided not to use this moment to corner her with questions that would only open her raw wounds. He already knew what she'd lost. He didn't need her to rehash it for him. As long as they held the same goal in mind, getting her stronger than she'd ever been, it didn't matter.

Shinpi could grieve her loss without his interference.

He'd merely act to give her a way to fulfill her vengeance. And he could do that without telling her what was driving his change of heart. His reasoning didn't matter. Only the outcome.

Shinpi had to defeat Hiro on her own terms. Unquestioningly. Only then could Hiei resume his bid for a fight against her. Only then could he stomach the idea of straying her attention from her pained past. But she didn't need to know that, not now, not necessarily ever.

He lunged for her and she wasn't quite so quick to evade him this time. When he cocked his fist back to strike her, he saw her eyebrow raise, her stance shift and he knew on some level she understood. For the first time it felt like they were meeting on even ground. He let his punch fly and waited to see what she'd do with it.


	22. Stalemate

**A/N: Guys. GUYS. We made it to 100 reviews! I'm so damn excited. I can't even tell you. So, to celebrate, I'm posting two chapters this weekend. One today and one tomorrow! I'll come up with something to do for 200 reviews when that's less of a dot on the horizon. But for now, have a chapter. And thank you all for making this possible. Seriously. Literally every review I get lights up my day. I know I don't respond to all of them anymore, but I read them all.**

 **My husband can testify to that. I tend to squeal a lot.**

* * *

Shinpi moved her rook over the checkered board, then pulled her hand back and smiled at Kurama across from her. He scanned his attention then adjusted one of his pieces to head off her strategy. They were nearing the end of the game and his lips pursed with that conclusion in mind.

"I'm a little disappointed at your strategy." Kurama admitted to her, hands folded together with his chin resting on top. "Genkai suggested this would be far more challenging."

"Genkai knows me well." Shinpi nodded and moved another of her pieces idly, still smiling.

She'd begun to do that a lot more lately, smile. Sometimes it even reached her eyes and lit up her face, he noticed. More often, though, it was this expression that passed as well-meaning and warm but lacked the sincerity her true grins offered. She'd shifted her mask from one of neutrality to carefully cultivated happiness. For whose benefit, he wasn't sure. He made his move and she didn't hesitate to knock over his king with a small flick of her fingers.

Kurama stared down at the fallen monarch, then shook his head. "I see you've been playing your own game. Here I was protecting a queen you were never truly interested in."

"Do me in, Kurama." She laughed, tossing her head back. "I believe it would be checkmate in three moves for you, yes?"

"Yes."

"A fun game."

"Perhaps next time you'll even play by the rules." He chuckled back to her. "How infuriating that you make up your own goals when those of the game have been so well established."

"If we all craved the same victories the world would lack depth." She leaned back in her chair as he reset the pieces. "But I suppose, for you, I can play to the expected standards."

It was a close game, one that ended in a stalemate. Shinpi's smile had grown gleaming and dangerous towards the end and Kurama found it all the more rewarding for that reason. Normally, a tie would have annoyed him. But a tie with Shinpi felt somehow appropriate. It had taken them a while to reach this point at all, the game deft and devious and their strategies and counter-strategies constantly in fluctuation.

The stalemate held a distinctly sweeter taste to him than the victory he'd earned because she'd been playing a different game.

* * *

Shinpi spun on her hands, legs wound around her attacker's neck. The demon was forced off its feet and then to the ground as she flipped them using the strength of her calves. One knife to the brain later, the fight was over. Shinpi pulled herself up as if nothing had happened at all. She'd lured the demon into the alley to keep it out of sight, having glimpsed it following her, Hiei and the Kuwabara siblings as they made their way to meet Yusuke and Keiko for dinner.

A bother, really, that she'd managed to get dirt all over pants when she was trying to make a good impression the first time she met Yusuke's girlfriend. In all her time with this group so far, Keiko had been carefully hidden out of reach. It was important to establish a good relationship with this woman if she wanted Yusuke to continue to feel amicable toward her.

Not to mention, she was genuinely curious to meet his Keiko.

"Please tell me you didn't add the pageantry for a Kuwabara." Hiei glared at Shinpi as she brushed dirt off her palms. "That was the move I've seen you practicing."

"It was." She acknowledged, smirking slightly. "It's a fluid movement now."

Her lack of answer in regard to his first statement earned a dull look from him. So she was trying to impress Kuwabara's sister.

 _Honestly_.

"Wow Hichi! That was super cool!" Kuwabara ran up to them, throwing himself between the two demons. Shinpi smiled at his fervor. "I can't believe how fast you are! And you're so little but you were able to toss that big guy around no problem. I know I shouldn't be surprised anymore but it's always so cool to see."

"Don't call me little." Shinpi sighed, but she was smiling despite the light reprimand. "Anyway, I believe we were on our way to dinner, weren't we?"

"Yeah!" Kuwabara pulled her with him, arm around her shoulders, until he walking with his sister again.

Hiei uncrossed his arms, watching the three of them walk away. Shinpi smiled brightly, full of warmth and energy as she flexed and spoke with the Kuwabaras. They all laughed. Slowly, he began to follow them. She fit in with them easily. Hands in his pockets he looked up at the sky, counting the buildings and clouds. This mundane pace was a pain.

He looked down to his side, blinking without much else of an expression. Shinpi had fallen behind with him, her arm threaded through his.

"You'll get lost if you don't watch where you're going." She told him. "It would be a shame if you didn't make it to dinner."

"I'm sure I'd be sorely missed." Hiei snorted.

"Naturally." Shinpi agreed fully, nodding once. "I, for one, think food tastes better when you're at the table. I'm sure the others agree."

"I doubt it."

"You're being sour." Shinpi sighed, but still the smile persisted.

"You're free to leave me alone." Hiei pointed out, dryly.

"I'm okay with sour, sometimes. It makes me appreciate the sweet things when they come along." She pretended not to hear him. A breeze circled them, and he got the impression it wasn't a natural occurrence. "I find it interesting that when you're reticent, you literally withdraw into yourself. Your aura becomes less pronounced, you radiate less heat."

They came to a stop as Hiei pulled his arm from hers, turning so he could better see her face.

"Is that what you were up to?" He asked her, eyes narrowing. "Gathering more information?"

"How can you trust someone with your life but not trust their motives?" She asked in return.

"Answer me."

"I'm always gathering information, it's what I do." Shinpi sighed then, her warm expression fading as she shoved her hands into her pockets, shoulders hunching against a cool gust of wind. "But to answer the question you won't ask, I made the choice to come walk with you because I wanted to."

"Why?"

Shinpi stared at him and his sudden hostility, then looked away. The seriousness that crossed her face made him even more annoyed.

"I thought we were moving passed this, but it appears I was wrong." Shinpi spoke, mostly to herself. Then she started to walk away, a glower blossoming. "It's a rare day that I can accuse myself of being an idealist."

Her rambling continued as she walked, chin tucked down, eyes on the ground. Hiei watched her for a second, eyes narrowed, then followed. He took longer strides until he caught up to her, his fingers catching the sleeve of her hoodie and tugging. It brought her to a stop but she didn't look at him. Instead she pulled her arm free. Hiei grabbed the sleeve again.

"Answer me." Hiei demanded, staring at the side of her face.

"I refuse." Shinpi told him, empty of all emotion. When she attempted to pull away again, he tightened his grip on the fabric.

" _Why_?" Hiei asked and he wasn't sure what the question was meant to regard at the moment. Why had she come to get him? Why had she walked away? Why was she refusing to look at him? Why was he angry with her for it?

Her movement happened before he could react. Sometimes he forgot that he was dealing with a creature who'd lived at least two of his lifetimes. She reversed his hold on her sleeve and pushed him back, pressing him against the chain link fence blocking an empty lot to their side. Her thin fingers wrapped around his wrist, pinning the arm slightly above his shoulder. A few people hurried down the sidewalk, whispering in hushed tones. Hiei ignored them.

He should have been frustrated that he'd been manhandled so easily. Or angry that she was again holding out on him during their sparring sessions. This woman was obviously capable of far more than she let on at any given moment. So why wasn't he annoyed? Why was he excited by the fierce look in her eyes?

Why did she make him question everything?

Her grip relaxed slowly, but Hiei didn't move. The anger he'd seen gave way to something more turbulent and less amusing.

Hurt.

"I don't like bitter things." Shinpi told him quietly, withdrawing entirely and the wind seemed to rage against her, throwing her hair over her shoulders. She rejected it by pulling up her hood. "But right now the thing I like least of all is the way you look at me."

"Explain." Hiei remained against the gate.

"You don't actually care about knowing, Hiei." Shinpi shoved her hands back into her pockets and looked away, the hood casting a shadow over her face. "You don't like knowing things. You don't like understanding. So I won't explain, because there's not enough language in the world to get you to understand if you don't want to."

He let his arm fall back to his side, back pressing against the fence.

"We should catch up to the others. I'm sure the detective and his woman are already waiting." He told her after another moment of silence, pushing off the fence. He tried to steal a glance at her face, but she kept it in shadow. "They'll start without us."

She walked without responding to him. Hiei glared ahead of them, passersby fleeing the path where his gaze landed. When he shoved his way into the restaurant where the others waited it still took a few seconds to register that Shinpi wasn't with him anymore. Scowling, he wondered if she'd gotten herself lost.

"Thanks for checking on Hichi." Kuwabara cut off Hiei's train of thought. "She used the mirror to let us know she wasn't feeling well and that you stayed behind for a bit to check on her. I guess she put too much into that fight after all."

Hiei settled into his seat, nodding. "She needs to learn to pace herself."

"It must be hard, when so much of her energy is in constant demand." Shizuru lulled the words. Kuwabara tilted his head, but Hiei just offered a cool glare. "Fights like that must take a lot out of her when she tries so hard to avoid them."

"You're underestimating her." Hiei responded. "Shinpi is more than capable of allotting her energy. She chooses not to. She wastes it on useless pursuits."

"If she's pouring so much of herself into it, can you really call it useless?" Shizuru asked him, the pointed question narrowing his eyes. "She's choosing to put her energy into something even though it's not paying off right away. You might see it as a waste of time, but I think most people would view it as an investment."

Yusuke made a joke then, cutting into the tension without actually addressing it and the meal started in earnest. Shizuru didn't talk to Hiei anymore about Shinpi, and the conversation flew from one topic to another, most of them lighthearted and trivial. The fire demon glanced at the empty chair between himself and Kuwabara a few times. Shinpi had thought to call the others before disappearing, to keep them from worrying and in the process she made sure no one would blame Hiei for her absence. While the others laughed and told stories, he thought about the evening.

"Hey, have Hichi check in with us, okay? I want to know she's okay." Kuwabara clapped a hand on Hiei's shoulder before they parted ways. "I feel bad she didn't get to join us."

"She'll be fine." Hiei assured him.

After the others left he went back into the building and made an order to go. It was too late and too far for her to justify taking the trains back to the temple. Besides, he had a suspicion she'd want to be alone. Truly alone. So he directed himself through the streets until he passed through a gate decorated by purple flowers. There were lights in the windows, but when he knocked no one answered.

He tried again. Still nothing. "Shinpi, I brought you food."

Silence.

Fine. If she wanted to be this way, he'd play her game. Hiei rounded the small house and entered the backyard. With barely any effort he leapt to the second story window, sliding it open and placing the food on her desk before he realized he wasn't alone in the room.

Shinpi didn't even bother covering herself before she struck him in the throat, then the chest, sending him flying off the windowsill and to the ground below with a loud groan. Hiei lay there for a moment, dazed.

"Hiei?" She ducked her head out the window, the headphones now gone from her ears. "You startled me! Are you alright?"

He held up a single finger then slowly sat up.

"Just use the door." Shinpi told him, pulling back into her bedroom. He had barely walked into the living room through the sliding glass door when she ran down the stairs.

"Nice pajamas." He commented, eying the matching set. A pink short sleeve button down and matching shorts that were far too short. Her cheeks turned the color of the cloth. "Your instincts seem sharp as ever."

"What the hell were you doing?" She demanded. "Who climbs in through a window?"

"I tried the front door but you weren't answering. I thought you were ignoring me. I didn't know you were bathing." He argued, frowning. "I brought you food."

"I saw." She pulled back, her concern fading with her attitude. "Kuwabara already asked me to check in with him. You didn't need to come."

"I'm not here for him." Hiei told her firmly, glaring.

It left a sentence unspoken between them, but she couldn't determine which sentence. _I'm not here for him. I'm here for me._ Or _I'm here for you_. Knowing Hiei, there was nothing left unsaid and she was just being whimsical again. When Hiei made no move to continue speaking, Shinpi just shook her head and started back up the stairs.

"I appreciate the gesture. Have a goodnight." She offered callously during her ascent.

"It's not a gesture, it's a bribe." Hiei followed her up the stairs, as usual ignoring any hint of propriety. "I want you to talk to me."

"I already told you I have nothing to say." Shinpi reminded him. "And I've already eaten."

"That's a lie." Hiei told her and sent a rod down her spine. "You said you wouldn't talk, not that you had nothing to say."

Sighing, she pulled her hair out of the bun she'd slapped it into for her bath. Fussing over the strands of black for something to do, she took a seat at her desk. Hiei chose to sit beside her, on the desk itself. Glaring at him she almost pushed him out the window again.

"You missed your opportunity with Kuwabara's sister." Hiei spoke idly, pilfering through the plastic bag and pulling out a carton of dumplings, opening it and prying one out.

"Don't do that." Shinpi kept her eyes on her fingers as she messed with her hair.

"What am I doing?" He swallowed the food with a raised eyebrow. "The food will get cold. You should eat."

"Why do you do this?" She asked him quietly, bringing attention to the slight tremor in her hands.

Hiei set the cheap chopsticks from the bag on the top of the container, drawing one knee up so he could rest his arms on it while he looked down at her.

"I'm trying to talk to you." Hiei told her. "Why are you-"

"That's not what you're doing." Shinpi tucked her chin down, her bangs covering her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at him. She squeezed her eyes shut anyways, just in case. "You come here for no reason, saying you want to talk and the first thing you say is about Shizuru. You don't want to talk about Shizuru."

"What do I want to talk about?" Hiei returned her quiet tone with his own.

Her teeth ground together. This was infuriating.

"I don't know." She told him, dropping her hands to her lap. "I'm not sure if you even want to talk at all. I think sometimes you just can't help it."

"Help what?" Hiei tilted his head, attempting to see her face and failing.

"Is this another of your tests? Some challenge to my fortitude?" She demanded, shaking slightly, fists on her bare legs. "How many times are you going to pull the rug from underneath me? I thought you'd be satisfied by now."

Hiei didn't answer, the realization behind her words creeping on him slowly.

"How many more times am I going to think we're passed this only to be reminded that we're never going to be? Why do you follow me and put on these gregarious acts? I thought we'd come to an understanding, finally. You are a far better liar than I knew." Shinpi bit her lip, then let it go, a shaky breath passing through her lips. "I just don't understand _why_ you keep doing it."

Her body went still, Hiei's hand sliding under her bangs to lift the hair away so he could look at her face. The shock of it pried her eyes open, her lips parting. It took all her effort not to look up into his face.

"I think you're right, I think you don't understand." Hiei told her carefully. He watched her struggle not to meet his gaze. "You seem to be under the impression that I'm here to hurt you. I'm not. I'm here because I want to be."

"I don't believe you." Shinpi told him, biting her lip again. "I don't believe anything you say to me."

"Mm. Another lie. You're on fire tonight." Hiei tisked twice. "Why don't you believe me?"

"I'm done answering your questions. Move your hand." She went to brush his hand away from her face only to utter a small gasp as his fingers wrapped around hers, Hiei moving fluidly to press her captured hand to the desk as he slipped off of it to lean over her.

"By not answering, you're making this easier for me." He informed her lightly. "I've had a lot of time tonight to reflect on our conversation. Do you realize how off putting you can be? When you say things about people that they might not have even noticed themselves, it's frustrating. You notice too much about everything."

"Get of-"

"I'm not done talking." Hiei cut her off and to his surprise it worked. She shut her mouth immediately, teeth worrying the inside of her bottom lip. "What I don't understand is why you take it so personally when people react poorly to your intrusions. You're a powerful creature. Coupling that with your intelligence, you can't actually be surprised when people get wary of your intentions. You pinpoint weaknesses and get offended when people get defensive. What do you expect them to do?"

She kept her eyes averted, slightly narrowed, and didn't answer him.

"You're right, I trust you with my life. If someone were to attempt to kill me right this moment, despite your anger with me, I know you'd fight to save me. You're an honorable person." Hiei told her. "But I don't know your motives. If I weren't in possession of your sword, my life would be forfeit and I know that too."

"Keep the sword then." Shinpi told him, a hiss. "It has no weight in this conversation. And you have no idea what you're talking about. Let me go, Jaganshi."

"Stop using that name." Hiei put a hand on the back of her chair. "You only use that fucking name when you're angry."

"I use it when you're a stranger to me."

Hiei blinked, puzzled by her words. When he was a stranger? What leap of logic had she made now?

"I'm the same." Hiei told her, brows pulling down.

"You're not." She assured him, chin jutted away, eyes focused on her wall.

"What's the difference then?" He demanded, curiosity ringing in his voice.

"Hiei is my friend, rival, whatever word appeals to you. Whoever you are right now, it's not the same man. Whoever you are right now is more interested in controlling me, hurting me, than anything else." She told him and despite the strength she mustered, her voice still quivered slightly. Bottom lip trembling slightly, moisture pooling into her eyes, she continued to avoid looking at him. "Or I'm just a fool. I've simply come to understand your necessary tolerance as something more than it is. It wouldn't be the first time I've allowed myself to impress meaning on a man who wanted nothing more than to kill me."

The comparison to Hiro scalded him, as he was sure it was meant to. But what dug into his stomach like a knife was the actual pain on her face as she spoke. Then the resolute acceptance.

"I know when someone is forcing themselves to care. I've seen that expression enough now to see through it. The way you look at me. It's the same." Shinpi bit into her lip again, leaving a spot of blood in her wake before continuing, the tears kept at bay by the action. "I thought we'd breached this wall, but we haven't. It will never come down. You'll always want to control me. I simply have to stop forgetting that just because you don't openly show your contempt doesn't mean it isn't there."

"Idiot." Hiei sighed the word, tipping her chair back onto the rear two legs until the back of it hit her desk. The action forced her to finally meet his eyes, her body going rigid. His slid his other hand under her chin, tipping her head back.

"You're not about to profess how all this is some bent form of affection I drive out of you, are you? Because again, I've heard it before." She tried to mistake the softness in his expression for malice.

"We've been having two different conversations." Hiei told her, letting out a heavy sigh. "You're right, I didn't understand. It never occurred to me you'd think I was manipulating you."

"What are you doing?" She caught the glow of the Jagan, her eyes flicking to his forehead. "Now you have to double check my answers?"

"It's not for you." Hiei assured her. "Well, not your mind, anyway."

He took her captured hand and placed it over the bandana concealing the Jagan. Just like that Shinpi was drug into Hiei's mind, a disorienting experience at its least significant. Quickly, flashes of memory screamed through her, the emotional snippets lingering just long enough for her to get a sense of them. Hiei's admiration for her tenacity and quick-wit. His annoyance with her when she gets herself into trouble. Unease when she flirts with Kurama, and now a _Kuwabara_. Confusion at her interest in training Kuwabara in general, but also respect. A flood of memories like a tidal wave, the culmination nearly too much for her to process, but nothing resembling hatred. No true malice, though he had wanted to smack her around a few times. No deceit.

"I'm dizzy." Shinpi announced when the Jagan closed and Hiei raised his eyebrows, grabbing her by the shoulders when she nearly fell from her chair. "That is not fun."

"You get used to it." He smirked.

"I hope I don't have to do it often enough to form a resistance." Shinpi put one hand on his arm, the other on the desk, her feet on the floor on as she inhaled through her nose. A few breaths that way and she was able to open her eyes without listing to the side. "All of that suggests you aren't trying to own or hurt me, I'll agree to that point. But why did you get so angry with me earlier?"

"Because I didn't know that my aura grew weaker when I was in thought." Hiei snapped at her. "No one knows that. Why do you notice those sorts of things?"

"I think a better question is why don't you?" Shinpi raised her eyebrow.

Hiei smirked at her fully. "Because I don't care what my aura does."

She rolled her eyes and immediately regretted the decision, the dizziness returning. Hiei chuckled as her grip on his arm tightened.

"This was more what I was expecting from our conversation earlier." He informed her, amused. "I say something challenging, you say something smart, I tell you it was never important anyway."

"Infuriating, but in character for you." Shinpi grumbled. "Also, I didn't say it because it was important. I merely commented on it because I found it interesting. You're not very forward with your emotions, having some sort of signifier is helpful."

"So what am I supposed to do about yours?" Hiei asked her curiously.

"My what?"

"Emotions. It's not like you're very forthcoming with your moods." Hiei pointed out.

"I'm very forthcoming. You being obtuse isn't my problem." Shinpi huffed, blinking a few times then eying the dumplings. She reached over to it and stole the chopsticks Hiei had been using.

Hiei frowned at her, a dull expression in place. "Yes, you're very open."

"So we agree." Shinpi nodded. Then she grinned at him, eating one of the dumplings. "Relative to you, at least."

"I don't have an argument against that." Hiei allowed, looking to the side. "I thought you'd eaten already."

"I did. Emotional turmoil makes me hungry." She dared him to question her. "Besides, you've got that damned Jagan don't you? What more do you need?"

Hiei raised his eyebrows. "That's not the first time you've suggested I use my Jagan so frivolously."

"It's a powerful tool you're underutilizing." She shrugged. "I've been very interested in how little you seem to rely on it."

"I was strong before I got it, I can be strong without using it." Hiei told her.

"But you're stronger when you do." Shinpi eyed him.

"Genkai suggested I not invade your privacy if I wanted to stay on your good side. I'd hate to be caught in one of your temper tantrums as I currently lack the defense against natural disasters." Hiei smirked then, using his fingers to pluck a dumpling from its package.

"You had no problem shoving yourself into my head during our mission." She pointed out, digging through the bag for the rest of the food he'd bought. She set out the carton of rice and the daifuku.

"Extraordinary circumstances." He drawled, climbing back onto the desk so he could perch there and eat. Shinpi righted her chair, angling toward him.

"Perhaps what we need a code word." Shinpi suggested, teetering her chair back onto two legs and pressing her shins to the desk for balance. Her eyes roamed the ceiling in thought as she pushed some rice into her mouth.

"A code word?"

"Yes. To signal when you want to use your Jagan on me or when I think you should." She drug her eyes to his face.

This vast improvement in Shinpi's mood made Hiei relax considerably. Watching her eyes light up with thought, her lips quirk with smart remarks, it soothed part of what had been bothering them. As they shared the little boxed dinner straight from the containers, he allowed himself to enjoy the moment.

"What sort of word?" Hiei asked her.

"Parley." Shinpi tipped her head to the side as she looked up at him. "It's a call for opposing sides of a dispute to reach an agreement. Perfectly suitable for rivals, don't you think Hiei?"

"And what? I say the word when I want to enter your mind and you say it when you want the same?" He assumed.

"I have a feeling we're going to be going on more missions together. I think it'd be useful." She nodded.

"Fine."

They ate in amicable silence for a few minutes. Shinpi picking at the rice and a few more dumplings and Hiei moving onto the confectionary sweets. He passed one to her and she accepted it with a nod.

"I've never pretended to understand romance or why people would want to deal with it." Hiei spoke as if he were carefully parsing through the words, making a face the whole time, something between a sneer and a grimace.

Shinpi turned him with shock clearly displayed on her face. When he caught sight of it he looked away quickly.

"I understand that you need more than rivalry to," he waved a hand through the air uselessly, "function. You need companionship."

She continued to watch him, and it slowly dawned on her that he looked _uncomfortable_ as if his next words unsettled him. What a turn of events. She had suspected this sort of transition would take longer for them. It had only been a few weeks since they'd gone on their mission together, hadn't it?

"You and Shizuru would make a decent enough couple. She wouldn't have been my first choice, but, I could see you two getting along." Hiei swallowed and it looked like he'd tasted something foul.

It took a moment for his words to register and then Shinpi laughed, nearly falling out of her chair as the loud, honest sound filled the room, her eyes watering. That had _not_ been what she had been expecting, not by a long shot and through her humor she couldn't manage tell Hiei that Shizuru had already rejected her, politely, but assuredly. They were friends, and honestly, that was probably for the best.

Hiei's dull expression at her outburst only doubled her fit. With a growl he shoved a piece of daifuku into her mouth in an attempt to get her to stop.

"You're a pain in the ass." He snapped at her.

"I'm so sorry, Hiei. You're trying so hard to be decent and a doting rival and here I am." She continued to giggle as she chewed. "You just looked absolutely _pained_."

"Well, I am endorsing a Kuwabara. At least it's the tolerable one." He sneered at her.

"You don't approve of my choice?" She teased him.

"Well, not everyone can have my discerning taste." Hiei smirked back.

"Oh yes, you seem quite the picky fellow. What with your ragtag team of misfit friends." Shinpi snapped her chopsticks at his nose, not caring that she was being rude or that she had rice on her chin. "I mean, look at you, sitting next to your rival and eating sweets even though every other word out of my mouth makes you want to shake me."

"Maybe I like that in my companions." He pointed out, eying her devilishly. "It might not be typical, but it's refined."

That stopped her short and then Shinpi rolled her eyes away from him, laying the utensils down and rubbing at her mouth. "I'd like to see how you function around me when you don't have to be under my ass all the time."

"At the rate you get in trouble, you'll never be rid of me and we'll never find out." Hiei snorted, rolling his eyes too.

Because he'd turned his face away he missed the slight squint she offered the far wall, the cogs in her head turning rapidly to dissect the truth in his words. He was right. At this rate, she'd never get her freedom back. Not that she minded Hiei's company some of the time, but it would be interesting to see how his opinion of her changed if they weren't forced to tolerate each other through sheer proximity. People often chose the path of least resistance and that included during social interactions. With Hiei living across the hall in her spare room or at the temple, training with her, acting as her guardian, they had no choice but to get along to some degree or it would be impossible to function.

So what would happen if all of that just… went away?

Her gaze flickered back over to the fire demon beside her, face smooth as she examined the possibilities. In all honesty, if Hiei's attitude were just the effect of their prolonged proximity, she wanted to know.

"What?" Hiei demanded and she tilted her head, offering a coy smile.

"I can't admire a masterpiece?" She asked him and it made his eyes widen a fraction before snapping closed and he huffed which naturally produced a grin from her.

* * *

Three days later cobalt eyes scanned over the information in the manila folder, an expert gaze picking out the relevant information with ease before she nodded and handed the file back to Koenma. They sat in the read room together, chairs angled toward one another so they talk as if they were old friends. It was a shame that this was a business meeting, and a dubious one at that.

"Seems like Spirit World might get a bit of a troublesome image if they were to actively intervene in Makai politics." Shinpi vocalized the thought idly.

"Truly. It's unfortunate that I can't just send the team in to handle this ordeal, what with the current climate." He agreed. "I'm glad we see eye to eye on this one."

"Well, my vision might get clearer if my head wasn't so clouded with my current predicament." Shinpi lulled and picked at her nail before raising her eyes to meet his pointedly. "If only so much of my time wasn't currently preoccupied by other forces I might be able to think of a way for Spirit World or resolve this mess without getting its hands stained."

His lips pressed into a line and he tossed a bit of his cape over his shoulder, sucking on his pacifier with great irritation. "I was under the impression you enjoyed your circumstances."

"I enjoy the company, but as with many things, it would taste sweeter were it not forced on me every day." She reached over and plucked a piece of lint off his shoulder, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger idly. "If I had more free time…"

"Fine. I'll lift that provision of your parole." Koenma caved and she smiled at him.

This man presented himself as made of stone but he was nothing but a house of cards. One little nudge and he crumbled.

"But if you abuse this, just know, I won't protect you." He warned her darkly.

"I've never been fond of being protected. It's unbecoming of a knight." Shinpi fussed over his hair for a moment, not even to intimidate him but because part of it had been bothering her for minutes now and she needed to fix it. "Much better."

Koenma watched her hand withdraw and blinked. " _After_ this next mission."

"Of course." She agreed readily, because it made sense. If Koenma announced she no longer needed to be monitored day in and out for no reason it would be suspicious. But, as a reward for a job well done? For collaborating with his little team? She doubted anyone would question it. After all, she'd been on her best behavior as of late.

The reading room door opened and Kurama stood on the other side with Hiei. They both assessed the two occupants with mild surprise and then suspicion.

"Koenma was cajoling me into going on a case with you lot." Shinpi supplied the answer before they asked the question and that only made Kurama's suspicion grow. "But he's failed to mention who all would be going so far and what the details are. He's not very good at this."

Koenma sputtered indignantly and Shinpi flashed a smile toward him that was all teeth. Hiei raised his eyebrows then rolled his eyes.

"Stop giving her options and just tell her to do it." Hiei demanded, arms crossed over his chest. "Shinpi, if I'm going, you're going. And if Koenma's bothered to come here, you can guarantee he wants all of us on this one."

"Oh, well, if you're going." Shinpi rolled her attention to the fire demon. "How could I say no to the opportunity of showing off for my favorite parole officer?"

Hiei sighed, exasperated. He turned to Koenma. "What is it?"

"Trouble in the mountains. A small town has been experiencing a slew of missing persons and finding this when they go to look." Koenma passed over another folder, different from the one he'd slipped behind his back.

Kurama and Hiei eyed the gory photographs before Shinpi rose to her feet and trotted over to them. Her lips pressed into a line and she raised a dark gaze to Koenma, but it was Kurama who spoke next.

"We'll need to pack for a few days. This trip will likely see us camping in the mountains at least overnight." He announced, snapping the file closed. "I'll contact Yusuke and Kuwabara."

"Already done." Koenma rose to his feet. "Just handle it as soon as you can. We can't allow anyone else to get taken."

"Naturally. We'll leave once we're packed and ready." Kurama nodded. Koenma bobbed his head and left the room.

Shinpi clasped her hands behind her back. "This is sort of exciting."

Hiei and Kurama both eyed her, but she radiated sincerity. Her eyes were bright, the corner of her mouth turned up. When she looked at them the grin split fully across her face.

"I bet I can find the culprit before you do." Shinpi told Hiei with a knowing glint in her eye.

"We'll all be working together." He pointed out, but a smirk had come to life on his lips. "But, no doubt, I'll be able to apprehend them first."

"Oh, I like that. It's a challenge then. Whoever gets the bad guy wins." Shinpi declared and Kurama chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"What will I win this time?" Hiei wondered smugly.

"The knowledge that you bested me." She shrugged. "Gloating rights."

"Hn. Not very interesting."

"Would you like to use your one wish to force me to come up with something better?" She began to walk down the hall with the two of them, eyes to the side so she could see Hiei in her periphery.

"Nice try. I'm keeping that one in my pocket until I need it most." Hiei smirked at her. "Gloating rights it is."

"May the best demon win." Shinpi turned her gaze forward and felt a thrill run down her spine. This rivalry business was actually fairly fun.

She hoped it stayed that way once Koenma made the big announcement upon their return.


	23. Leap of Faith

**Here it is, the second chapter this weekend. Seriously, thank you to everyone who reads this and reviews. It's so amazing to hear your thoughts on the stories, your guesses at what will happen and just, it makes me feel so good. The feedback is invaluable and keeps me going. Without readers this story wouldn't feel the same.**

 **I've had several parts of this chapter written for months now and I'm glad to finally get to share them. Honestly, the cake scene is one of my favorites.**

* * *

As it turned out, Yusuke and Kuwabara needed time to get their acts together before they could disappear for a few days on a 'very important mountain hike' as Kuwabara had phrased it. This meant that Kurama had gone back to his home and Shinpi and Hiei had gone to hers. Her house became the arranged meeting spot for the next morning where they'd all gather, then take a bus as far as they could before hiking the rest of the way to their destination.

Hiei had been impressed that true to form, once they'd gotten to her house, Shinpi had packed everything she'd need in less than hour. She'd offered to bring along anything he needed but he'd openly scoffed at the mere idea. All he needed was his sword, and perhaps his cloak. And he'd be damned if asked her to carry either for him.

Speaking of swords, he eyed the wood one she'd placed by her backpack. It was handmade, she'd informed him. She'd done the work herself, shaping the blade and sanding it to a decent enough edge. It was still wood, and he couldn't fathom it being useful, but she was insisting on bringing it along.

He was sure there was something to be said about her sword envy, but the joke eluded him.

"Do you cook?" Shinpi asked him later that evening, reaching for her apron.

"No."

"Too bad. I was going to ask for your help." She shrugged off his lack of usefulness and set about the task herself. Chopping vegetables, making the rice, preparing the meat and allowing it to cook slowly.

Hiei fell asleep at the table, his back against the wall. The sound of the ceramic plate sliding over the wood of the table awoke him and uncertain amount of time later. He pried his eyes open to glance first at the food, then the woman who offered it.

Shinpi stood with a knowing look, seemingly unimpressed with him. As usual. Her fists planted on her hips, eyes pinched at the corners, her mouth pulled slightly to one side. He stared back, not particularly caring for her attitude at the moment. He was tired. He was allowed to sleep. Then she frowned at him and shook her head, turning away and making a plate for herself. He didn't wait for her before starting to eat, surprised that the food was flavorful, the meat tender. Making a contented sound, he realized how hungry he'd been.

Her cooking had improved over the weeks as he'd grown used to it.

Shinpi slid into the seat across from him, not offering a word. She merely looked at her own food quietly, flour streaked over her right cheek. The apron hung on its designated peg by the oven.

"This is good." Hiei offered noncommittally, not keen to start a conversation on the matter, but still feeling he should say something.

She nodded, accepting his compliment as she continued to eat her own meal. He went back to eating. He wasn't sure when but she had placed a glass water on his side of the table, the condensation on the outside of the glass telling him it might've been there for a while. How long had he been asleep?

The timer on the stove buzzed, a high pitched ringing that grated on his nerves. She got to her feet to stop it before he could bark at her over the racket. The smell of something sweet and baked drifted through the kitchen when she pulled the oven door open, withdrawing the small cakes from its depths. Placing them on the stovetop, she stared at them for a long second then went back to the table to finish eating.

Hiei eyed them, glancing over a few times. Chocolate cake? He looked back at the woman, then leaned back in his chair.

"There is a perfectly good bed upstairs." She told him, her voice breaking the silence that had fallen between them. Hiei raised his eyebrows. "You don't have to sleep in a chair. You might as well be comfortable when you nap, Hiei."

After she finished eating, she collected the plates and washed them immediately. In fact, he noted, she washed everything right after using it. He'd seen Urameshi cook several times and the detective let things pile up until he absolutely had to do dishes. Shinpi seemed determined to keep her sink empty at all times.

She liked things in their place, orderly and clean. He'd learned this well enough.

Shinpi set about placing the cakes on a wire cooling rack, moving onto whatever never step she had undertaken. Fascinated, Hiei leaned against the refrigerator to watch her. She'd pulled a bowl from the refrigerator, large and metal, and attached it to a machine with a whisk built into it. Then she turned it on, allowing it whir as it whipped the contents of the bowl for a few minutes. She checked the consistency a few times then, when she was happy, stopped the machine, washing the detached whisk before removing the bowl and sliding the machine into a cabinet below the counter.

Placing the first layer of cake onto a large plate, she scooped some of the filling out, smoothing it then adding the next layer of cake and so on until it stood four small layers high.

Hiei swallowed, eyes glued to the dessert as she sprinkled it with confectionary sugar, leaving the sides and top unfrosted. His tongue made a pass over his lips.

Shinpi caught the look and chuckled. If he ever looked at another being like he looked at cake, they were done for. The desire on his face was real. But she noticed that he never asked if he could indulge. So, leaning against the counter, she smiled at him.

"You can have some." She told him and he stepped toward the cake, so she lifted her hand. "When you ask for it."

He stopped, glaring at her. "And if I don't?"

She smiled at him. He didn't like this smile. It was far from benevolent.

"I could just scrap the whole thing." She shrugged, not bothered.

"You'd waste all that time and effort out of spite?"

"My entire existence is fueled by spite. Wasting a cake is the least that I'm capable of."

He believed her.

"I could just take it." He pointed out, walking forward until their toes nearly touched. He wasn't even sure why he was arguing over a damned slice of cake. But her expression brought it out of him.

"You'd have to get through me first." She slid the plate further behind her. "Is it really so hard to ask me for some?"

"Is it really necessary?" He placed his hands on the edge of the counter on either side of her, narrowing his eyes on her face. "At this point, I think you're just trying to start a fight with me."

"I am." She agreed without reservation. Then, lowering her voice, added. "Are you going to take the bait?"

Hiei's fingers dug into the countertop, but it wasn't anger curling in his stomach. It was a different warmth, something more pleasant and entirely unexpected as he looked into her eyes, debating his next move. She expected him to fight her, he realized that, and he wanted to.

"May I have a slice?" He asked her instead, voice rougher than he'd meant for it to become.

"Just a slice?" She tilted her head, soft confusion and smug pleasure mingling in her expression. "You could have asked for the whole thing."

The warmth intensified.

"Help yourself, Hiei." She shrugged, gently pushing out of the box of his arms. "See you in the morning."

And she left him in the kitchen, mildly confused but with an entire cake to devour.

* * *

Hiei refused to board the bus once it arrived. He'd waited with the lot of them, hands shoved in his pockets and a glower etched onto his face.

"I'll meet you there." He spoke firmly, then his eyes narrowed on Shinpi. "Do not cause trouble."

"It's a bus to the mountains, Hiei. How much trouble do you expect me to find?" She demanded, thoroughly amused.

"You seem to pull it out of thin air. It manifests around you." He pointed out. "So, I repeat, do not cause any trouble."

"Maybe a little trouble?" She teased, holding her fingers a hair apart. "A small commotion? A band-aid emergency, perhaps?"

"I'll be around." Hiei turned his attention to Yusuke, expression annoyed. "Keep an eye on her."

Then he was gone and Shinpi was left hiding her giggle behind her hand as she shook her head. "Honestly, what's he expecting me to do?"

The bus ride passed without event. In fact, Shinpi slept most of it, napping peacefully with her head on Kuwabara's shoulder as they bounced along the pot-holed road to the mountains. And even her dreams were pleasant and uneventful. By the time they met up with Hiei at the base of the mountain, everyone was rearing to get started and stretch their stiff legs.

The first stretch of their hike was mundane. Yusuke griped the entire time about trees and nature and what a waste it was that he couldn't have stayed home to play video games. Kuwabara argued with him, annoyed, and kept defending the 'beauty of the planet'. Kurama and Shinpi shared knowing looks like two older siblings. Hiei caught of a few of those looks and it bothered him, but he couldn't tell why.

The annoyance didn't stop until after Hiei slayed their first feeble opponent. A stray demon, nothing capable of ripping a human being apart, that had come at them from the trees. An easy enough victim, nothing that required his true skill. In fact, dispatching the wretch had been more instinctual reaction than intent. But it had been Shinpi's quick reflex of pivoting around Yusuke that sent the demon onto Hiei's sword.

"Spectacular." Shinpi's bright exclamation turned Hiei's attention toward her. She tossed him a wide grin that lit up her face. "We make a good team; don't you think Hiei?"

Hiei stared at her, caught. An uncomfortable sensation shuddered in his chest just before his entire body went warm. Swallowing, he tried to gather a response, unable to look away from her glowing expression.

"We are a team." He said dully, then closed his eyes and realized what an idiot he sounded like. "It's natural that we all work well together."

"Well, I meant us specifically, but I suppose you're right." Shinpi chuckled. "You're pretty graceful when you fight. I hadn't realized before."

Hiei felt his ears burn and crossed his arms to glare away from the woman hoping to cover the unnecessary blush with feigned annoyance. "I don't need your compliments."

Shinpi tilted her head, studying him, then shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Hiei."

Her casual response irked him, making him sink into his shoulders. How could she respond so lightly when he was obviously trying to be off-putting? What the hell was wrong with her? And for that matter, what was wrong with him? Why had he lost his composure at the sight of her grin?

So what if it had been coupled with some moronic declaration? It was meaningless. Shinpi was just the sort of person who said things. She'd openly admitted to being benignly encouraging without realizing it. It was in her nature.

Yusuke elbowed Kurama with a questioning expression and the fox demon just offered a headshake in return. Who truly could understand Hiei's strange reactions? They hiked until the sun went down, still no contact with the apparent threat lying in wait in the shroud of trees. When they made camp, it came with the assignment of watch keeping shifts. Just in case. And as Hiei made the fire, the rest of them started to tell stories.

Shinpi listened raptly to them speak. Yusuke about some of his time training in Makai, Kuwabara about what it was like dealing with Yusuke as a teen. Kurama offered a tale or two about his days as a thief. Hiei pitched in with a story of his own as a bandit. Then all eyes moved to Shinpi and she stared back with curiosity.

"What is it?" She asked them, reaching up to touch her face. "Have I got something on me?"

"You've been quiet." Yusuke teased, leaning forward and grinning at her. "Come on, you have to have some good shit in that past of yours."

Hiei tensed, and it went unnoticed. But the rod straightening his spine didn't go away because he was worried the detective was plucking at the wrong string. Now was not the time for them to begin hounding Shinpi about her past. What would they do if she lost her cool here in the mountains? If she remembered her child too profoundly and her rage came back?

To his immense relief her lips pulled up to the left a bit and she leaned back on her stump, staring up at the glimmering sky.

"I had more good moments than bad, honestly, but the bad ones were fairly encompassing in how terrible they were." She admitted. Then hummed to herself as she tried to come up with a story to tell them. "Oh, alright, you'll enjoy this one Yusuke. When I was a teenager, I ran away from home. It's a long story leading up to that. Anyway, the first place I thought to flee to was Tourin. Something about the clockwork of Raizen's hunger just made me feel at ease."

She went on to weave the story for them. Young, out of her lands and on her own for the first time, steel-headed and angry. She'd showed up on Raizen's proverbial doorstep with the clothes on her back, a fire in her eyes and said, 'Train me'. He naturally refused, laughing, and even though he had a working relationship with her father he sent her away. Told her to come back when she could beat him. She refused to go. His energy alone threw her from his tower.

But she wasn't deterred. She climbed back up and demanded him train her again. He laughed and again threw her from the tower.

So, instead of climbing up again, she stood at the base of his tower and stared at it. Raizen called out to her, asking if she was so easily deterred, even as the sky above them darkened and swirled.

"What were you doing?" Kuwabara asked, leaning forward.

"Well, I figured, if I couldn't pull the king from his tower, I'd pull the tower from the king." She smiled at him, then laughed and it was that high tinkling sound she'd only offered a handful of times. "I never managed the feat, because Hokushin approached me. The tornado went the way of the wind and I spent a few years hanging out with them before moving onto my next goal."

"He should have hit you harder." Hiei grunted, eying her. "Your hard head obviously needed it."

"True. I could easily be accused of being a willful child. Luckily I grew out of the worst of it." She offered and smiled at them all.

Yusuke laughed at that, beaming. Kurama chuckled too.

The night waned from there. Eventually, they all settled in. The campfire was mere embers when Hiei glanced down from his post on the tree he'd adopted. It was soft at first, the initial sounds of Shinpi's distress. He hopped down and walked over to where she lay on the ground, bag cushioning her head, sleeping bag unzipped as it lay under and over her. He knew her fits well enough to know when one was coming.

So he knelt by her head and placed his hand on her crown, waiting until her face smoothed out before moving onto Kuwabara who slept a few yards away. He kicked the carrot top lightly in the shoulder. "It's your turn."

"Right, right." Kuwabara yawned and stretched, slowly waking himself up from an uncomfortable sleep. "Thanks for taking the first shift."

"Just don't get us all slaughtered in our sleep." Hiei grumbled, walking back to Shinpi.

Kuwabara watched as the fire demon lay down next to the woman, arm folded under his head and making sure to keep some distance between them by rolling onto his side away from Shinpi. "You're not going to look down on us from a tree, shorty?"

"Not tonight." Hiei grumped back, eyes already closed.

Kuwabara hummed something under his breath and distracted himself with trying to stoke the fire to life so he could heat up water for some instant coffee. Almost as though she sensed the attention on her had slipped away, Shinpi moved, nuzzling against Hiei's back in her sleep.

And it kept happening that way. No matter how he shifted, or growled at her.

Hiei grunted, shoving Shinpi's leg off of him as it hooked around his hip, her face nestled between his shoulder blades. "We're not that close. Stop it."

Murmuring some vague agreement she scooted closer to him. He knew she was asleep. He knew it wasn't _intentional_ , but still, this was the third time _tonight_ she'd tried to cuddle up to him. Hiei suspected it had something to do with the chill in the air. Another time, under different circumstances, and he may not have been so bothered, but the team was there and he _knew_ he'd catch shit if they woke up to him allowing the woman to spoon him.

Rolling to his back so he could sit up on his elbows, Hiei cast a glare at the woman. Him being down here was for her benefit to start with. The last thing any of them needed was for her to have one of her _nightmares._ She continued sleeping soundly, another annoyance. Wasn't she supposed to be a warrior? She should have more situational awareness. Without a lot of care about waking her, Hiei took her shoulder and rolled her to her other side.

Shinpi groaned, swatting at his hand. Well, that was a minor improvement.

Laying down behind her Hiei slipped and arm around Shinpi's waist, being sure to trap her top arm underneath his lest she react wildly to the intrusion. Her breathing hitched in her sleep, a soft growl voicing her complaint, but then her breathing evened once again. Smirking, Hiei closed his eyes. He'd rather be caught in the dominate position, and this way Shinpi couldn't do anymore of that nuzzling or cuddling.

In theory, anyway.

Hiei squeezed his eyes shut against the beginnings of consciousness sometime later, annoyed at the obvious light behind his lids. His arm flexed around a figure, bringing them to stillness when they tried to struggle in his hold.

"Stop it." He warned quietly, still tired.

The weight on his chest resumed and he settled back against the edge of sleep once more, content for the moment. It didn't last long.

"Hiei, as comfortable as this is, I need to move." Shinpi kept her voice quiet and he could hear the humor in her tone.

Peeling his eyes open slowly, he looked down at where her head lay against the hollow of his shoulder, her arm draped over his chest while his pinned her into place beside him. At some point he'd rolled onto his back and it seems he'd drug the woman with him. One of her legs was strewn over his, the exact thing that he'd been trying to avoid.

"You should have thought of that before I got comfortable." Hiei told her lightly, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back to the ground. "Shut up and sleep."

She let out an indignant huff, put out with him. It made him want to grin as she settled into her confinement, the hand on his chest beginning to draw absentminded patterns over his shirt. Then she shifted, her adjustment putting an awkward pressure on his shoulder and elbow and her leg making his hip feel strained. Hiei opened one eye to look at her.

"I know you're doing that on purpose." He told her blandly. But he let her go, letting his arm around her go slack so she could sit up and stretch her arms. Then he went back to dozing comfortably, only barely aware of her disappearance.

It wasn't much longer before he joined the others around the campfire, noting two of their party were missing.

"Yeah, Hichi and Kurama went scouting." Yusuke clued him in looking mildly annoyed. "After she captured a demon last night they wanted to be sure there weren't traps waiting for us."

Hiei stared at him. "When did she capture a demon? She was asleep all night."

"Huh? No, man. She ended up taking over for Kuwabara at some point. She went back to bed when it was my turn." Yusuke gestured to the fire demon. "You must've slept like a rock to miss the commotion. That's not like you."

He was right, it wasn't. Unless he was in a totally secured environment, Hiei was always on guard. Even then, he still generally slept on edge and rarely for more than a handful of hours at a time. It was only then he realized he had slept through most of the night. And Shinpi must've been far more aware than he thought, not to mention stealthy. He couldn't remember being disturbed at all by her leaving. Had she come back to find him on his back and cuddled against him? Damn that woman.

"Dude screamed like a stuck pig." Kuwabara made a face. "She's really terrifying sometimes. I hadn't even noticed the guy before she was on him."

"Woke up from a dead sleep just to save your ass. I think she's got the hots for you." Yusuke teased the carrot top.

Kuwabara didn't accept the joke, instead looking mildly bothered. "Yeah. I mean, if she hadn't, that guy would've gotten the jump on me."

Yusuke sobered up too, frowning and glancing away from them with a narrowed gaze. Hiei followed the track of his attention and found a figure lying on the ground several yards away, tar-like blood coating the ground under it. A heavy creature covered in sharp spikes, clawed hands. Kuwabara would have been cut through.

"Did it injure her?" Hiei asked them, still staring at the mangled body Shinpi had left behind. He hadn't smelled blood on her. Had she managed to bath?

"No. It didn't have a chance." Kuwabara smiled then. "Hichi is really something, huh? She came out of nowhere. One minute everyone was asleep and I was watching the site and the next I hear this crazy scream and she's just there with her wooden sword and the thing is dead."

"She was pissed too." Yusuke nodded at the carrot top. "Took off to make sure no one else was around. Came back after a dip in the river. Told us we were in the clear for now, then spent twenty minutes laying into Kuwabara before sending him to bed."

"Man, I thought sis was a tough customer. Hichi has nothing on her. I felt like I was a little kid being yelled at by my mom." Kuwabara rubbed his neck, a sheepish blush coating his cheeks. "She's really something."

"Gross dude, I didn't know you had a mom fetish." Yusuke poked Kuwabara's cheek with a dull look. "That's just weird man."

"Ew! It's not like that you disgusting punk! She's just amazing, is all! I look up to her! Besides, at least I didn't accidentally call her mom when she woke me up." Kuwabara tossed the insult and it made Yusuke holler out indignantly, then throw himself at the other man. They were wrestling while Hiei watched until voices turned the fire demon toward Kurama and Shinpi.

"Did they catch you up or have they been wasting all morning being idiots?" Shinpi asked him, gesturing to the two men wrestling.

"They gave me an overview." He told her with a nod, then glanced at Kurama. "Did you two find anything interesting?"

"No, I'm afraid. We suspect it was a chance incident. Between the two of us we couldn't pick up any more trails." Kurama shook his head.

We. Kurama was tossing that word around a lot recently, wasn't he? And since when did he stand so close to people? If he got any closer to the woman they'd be touching.

"Sounds like you two make a good team." Hiei told them, and it earned strange looks from both demons.

"We did scout a better path." Shinpi shot Hiei one more glance then turned to the other two. "Are you two morons listening or am I going to have come over?"

"We're listening." Kuwabara choked the words, trapped in a vicious headlock.

"What's wrong with our current path?" Yusuke demanded. "I mapped it out myself."

"That's a good start. It's too obvious and its low lying. The new path might take a bit longer but it's a higher vantage and allows for crosswinds." She gestured to Yusuke.

"I don't care which way the wind blows." Yusuke let go of Kuwabara to put his hands on his hips.

"That's because you aren't a tracker." Shinpi shot back at him. "Kurama and I are agreed that the new path is more ideal. It runs us near the town as well, within the circumference of the attacks, and it follows the river. It puts me at a tactical advantage."

"Well, if you and Kurama are agreed." Hiei stared at Shinpi, then flicked his gaze to Kurama. "Then we should all just go along with it."

"You woke more irritable than usual." Shinpi stated callously. "And to think you got more sleep than any of us."

He bit his teeth together. "Let's get going."

* * *

"Gross." Yusuke made a face as Hiei examined a pile of human fingers left under a tree. The ground was tacky with spilled blood; more than a few fingers would cause.

"They're old. A few days at least. Matches up with Koenma's timeline." Hiei got to his feet and looked over at the others. They all exchanged looks, then nodded and started moving on.

"Fine. Your trail was better." Yusuke grumped, hands in his pockets and a glower on his face.

"If it makes you feel better, I would have preferred yours. I'm not a fan of heights these days." Shinpi told him stoically, eying the slope to their right that cut off at a jagged edge and lead to a plummet that lasted at least twenty feet.

Hiei scoffed at her admittance.

"Laugh all you like, Hiei, but once you fall to your death you tend to learn a new respect for gravity." Shinpi responded coolly and it earned a glance from him.

"I thought Hiro killed you." Kurama voiced the thought Hiei'd been having.

"His hand cut through my chest and my heart, and I would have died either way. But it was the fall into the chasm that did me in. I brought him down with me but it was my body that took the fall, not his. My bones that broke." She lost her attention to the abyss of her memories that she had become lost in. "A rather unpleasant feeling. I don't wish to relive it."

Hiei stared at her, lips pressed into a line.

 _I remember everything_. She'd said as much before, but he hadn't truly appreciated the extent to which the words were true. He'd been studiously hoping to avoid learning that information. No one asked her about her death. She didn't offer the information and they were all happier for it.

Hiei stalked ahead of them to get away from Shinpi and her damned memories. Her dead stare irked him and he had no time for it. Maybe it was his anger that prevented him from deflecting the energy blast that took him in the side of the head, forcing him off the narrow natural bridge he'd been crossing high above the curve of the river that carved itself through the mountain. Maybe it was the fact the blast had come from a place too far off to detect initially. Or was it too close? He didn't have to time to really consider it as the darkness swallowed his mind even as he felt wind in his hair from behind, limbs floating around him as he careened toward the ground.

Yusuke bellowed something and took off in the direction the blast had come from like a gunshot. Kuwabara froze in place, hunkering down and drawing his sword to life without hesitation. If she'd had time, Shinpi would have been proud of him. As it was, she was already in motion, shirking off her backpack as she used a full sprint to launch herself through the air, arms winding around Hiei's unconscious form. The interruption to his fall forced them aside from the rocks he'd been aimed for, mostly. She placed one hand over his nose and mouth from behind, her body under his as they hit the water with a geyser like splash.

What she'd done didn't register until she was submerged. The actions had been entirely instinctual. One thought breaking through the rest and driving her into motion.

 _Protect him_.

Hiei's eyes flew open, a startled call surging from his mouth as the water closed around them. He expected to feel the rush of water into his lungs, but it didn't come initially. Not until he felt the impact of rocks through Shinpi's body, her shoulder colliding with the sharp boulders under the surface of the river. Her hold on him slipped, the air bubble she'd formed around his face popping. His hand closed on her wrist as the current attempted to drag her away. Sinking down, dragging Shinpi with him, Hiei snarled.

What a fucking waste he was.

The water couldn't be kept from his burning lungs forever, and he relented against the urge to breath against his will. Water surged down his airways and he choked on it, his hand releasing Shinpi's wrist. Streams of darkness filtered through the water from her back, proof of her injury and he hoped she managed to get to the surface instead of dying down here with him. Hopefully the others would be able to pull her from the water's clutches. If he was lucky they'd…

they'd…

pull….him…

pull…him...too

Hiei's eyes closed, a numbness entering his body that swallowed his brain. Darkness awaited him, darkness and cold.

Shinpi's eyes opened and bubbles escaped her mouth as she realized her situation. Her throat ached from breathing in water. Her eyes hurt. The murk was nearly impossible to see through but she swam down anyway, her legs having to pick up the slack of her ruined left shoulder. Driving herself downward, she scoured the bottom of the river and took the current head on in an exhausting battle until she found Hiei. Her right hand wrapped in his shirt and she used his weight to force her feet against the muddy river floor. Then she pushed off, Hiei in tow.

They broke the surface with a wild gasp of air from Shinpi, her head tossed to the side as she spit out mouthfuls of green river water. With great effort she hauled Hiei with her to the shore. It took even more work to pull him up onto the grassy, muddy, ledge.

Blood ran down her arm and back, droplets of scarlet falling to the blades of technicolor green underneath her knees as she rolled Hiei to his back and bent to place her ear to his chest. No sound. No movement that she could see. Frowning, she sat up and tried to figure out if she could reasonably perform CPR with one arm. Unlikely. Nodding to herself, she closed her eyes, using her right hand to find Hiei's lungs or at least where they should be for any humanoid demon like him.

It took a raw, deep breath that burned in her chest and throat to focus herself. Forget the urge to cough that battered against her senses. Ignore the cold chill of the water clinging to her skin and hair. Disregard the numbness entering her left hand. Focus only on Hiei.

She drug her fingers over his chest slowly, connected to the water in his lungs. Visualizing the pathways, she guided it from the man's still chest upwards through his throat and finally out of his mouth and nose.

Hiei gagged, then sputtered, coughing up the remnants even as green energy swam into him to fix whatever damage had been done.

"Shh. Shh." Shinpi urged him when he tried to sit, her right hand smoothing over his bangs then through his hair. "You're alright, Hiei. Though, for a second I thought you'd wasted my effort in saving you by dying."

"What happened?" Hiei demanded, reluctantly remaining with his head in Shinpi's lap as he peered up at her through tired crimson eyes.

"You were an idiot and got knocked unconscious then off a bridge by a completely inferior opponent." She informed him with a small smile. "To keep you from being impaled by a formation of jagged rocks, I dove out to force us into the water. I remember misjudging my velocity and we landed too close to boulders. I hit my shoulder and then I woke up and you were drowned."

"How did you know I couldn't swim?" Hiei asked her curiously.

"I didn't. I thought you were still unconscious from your fall." She admitted then grinned. "What sort of man can't swim?"

"I can't." Hiei growled at her. Then he sat up, rubbing his head.

"Of course you can't." Shinpi giggled and shook her head, but the movement made her sway. Swallowing, she closed her eyes to regain her balance. "I know it's not your forte, Hiei, but I need your help. May I borrow one of your belts?"

"What for?" Hiei demanded, glaring at her. Then he saw the blood flowing down her arm, deep and dark. It stained the grass under her palm, turned the dirt to mud when it mingled with the water dripping off of the woman. "Your injury-"

"You're going to clean and cauterize it for me. But first, I need your belt." She held out her right hand to him expectantly.

Hiei pulled one of the two belts from around his waist, extending it to her. He watched as she folded it in half and then nodded at him.

"This will do. I need you to get the rock shards out of the cut." She informed him as if this were easy for her.

How often had she had to talk someone through being a field medic? Hiei waste much time wondering as he crawled behind her, studying her gash. It pulsed with blood and aside from the large chunk of sharp rock imbedded in it there were smaller bits. Shinpi placed the folded bet into her mouth, biting against it as he plucked out the pebbles and pieces.

"This large one, it's going to hurt." Hiei warned her.

She offered only a steady, stiff, nod and stared at the river. Hiei took that as consent and tugged on the piece.

Shinpi did her best to suppress any sounds of pain, but Hiei heard them. The guttural utterances she offered. A few breathes sharper, more haggard than the rest. The whine of the leather under her teeth. A deep growl that rumbled through her chest as if she were truly a whole demon again. After several minutes of wiggling and maneuvering, he got the three-inch piece of jagged rock out of her flesh.

The blood came more freely now, pouring down her back with her heartbeat. It coated her shirt and stuck to his fingers. Hiei called his fire to his hand and glanced at Shinpi's face. He thought about counting. About warning her. Then he thought against it and pressed his flaming, scorching finger into her wound and grimaced as she couldn't stave off the high keening sound of pain that erupted from her throat. It took a few seconds, no longer, and the deed was done.

Shinpi panted when Hiei retracted from her, the heat gone yet somehow remaining. She thought, for a second, that she might always feel it. It took a minute for her to regain enough composure to pull the belt from her mouth.

"I forgot how awful that feels." She admitted to him, right hand gripping the grass as if it had insulted her family. "Thank you, Hiei."

"I've stopped the bleeding but I can't fix the underlying tissue. You need a healer or a hospital." Hiei told her firmly. "We need to find the others."

"They've headed in the wrong direction." Shinpi turned to face him, offering back his belt riddled with teeth marks. "The under current and the surface do not end up in the same place. But if we follow the river we'll find them."

Hiei nodded, accepting her expertise in this arena.

Then he watched as Shinpi, through sheer stubborn will, yanked her shirt over her own head and ripped it into pieces with her teeth and one good hand. He stared at her, amused on some level.

"You could ask me to help." He told her, smirking as she failed to tie a knot in the ruined fabric. "What are you doing?"

"Making a sling." She told him as if it should've been obvious. "I need to support my arm until we get to a healer."

"I am literally sitting here with two good hands." Hiei informed her and then took her project away.

He fashioned the sling for her, draping it under her injured arm and then knotting it behind her neck, attempting to keep the knot itself off her spine so it wouldn't form a pressure point.

"Is that alright?" He asked her. "I'm not exactly a professional medic."

"It'll suffice." She told him, but her smile clued him into her joke. "You're not too bad with your hands."

"They have their uses."

"I bet they do."

Again that tone that made him wonder if she knew she sounded flirtatious. But now wasn't the time to address it so he didn't. Instead he nodded and helped her to her feet.

"Do you have an idea where the others will go?" He asked her.

"Naturally. I have ideas about everything." She reminded him with a smile and then laughed lightly, before settling into a coughing fit that had her bowing her head. Shaking it off she grimaced. "I guess I inhaled more water than I realized."

He allowed her to pick their direction, but then he took the lead. The sky grew dark, laden with clouds, and the wind had picked up before the first few droplets splattered against their downturned faces. Hiei pulled Shinpi by the arm into the safety of a hollow, a jut of rock overhead shielding them from the rain. The ground beneath their feet was relatively dry and the space was decent enough for the two of them to share.

"This will do for now." Shinpi told him, and he noticed her voice sounded airy.

She coughed so hard she had to grip Hiei's forearm to stay upright. Her skin paled, her eyes growing heavy lidded with the fit. And then she slowly pulled herself upright, looking all the more exhausted for the effort. He noticed the thin sheen of sweat glossing her brow and temples with pursed lips.

"You're ill." Hiei reached for her head and she stepped back, avoiding his fingers with deft evasion.

"It's nothing." Her response left a lot to be desired, as breathless as it was.

"We'll rest here." He told her with a glare. "There's no use pushing you to the brink of death. Conserve your energy and strength, Shinpi."

"The others…"

"Stop wasting your energy worrying." He snapped. "Sit down and rest."

"I'm only listening to you because the rain is making the rocks too slick to climb." She warned him, plopping herself down.

Hiei grew smug when she complied none the less. Her breathing continued to be labored, but it seemed to be alright while they were in here. The sweat has lessened, at least. He sat beside her, looking out over the mountainside for a few minutes before turning back to inspect his _rival_.

Shinpi's face went against her fighting spirit, in his opinion. It was soft, highly feminine. Her wide blue eyes framed by a dark fringe of lashes, small unbroken nose, pink lips with only one scar and it was incredibly faint. He had to stare at her to see it at all. Hadn't she ever been punched in the face before? He was sure he'd done it a few times. Why were her features still so perfectly arranged? So delicate? It was annoying, knowing she was a seasoned fighter but not being able to tell by looking at her. And yet, he couldn't seem to help himself. Every time he swiveled his head back in her direction to scan the woods around them, he swept his eyes over her once more.

Hiei glanced over her profile again as he thought about it, wetting his lips as he tried to pick the correct words for his thoughts, which he immediately berated himself for. He'd never had issues speaking his mind before, why should he start now?

"Your face is more frustrating than Kurama's."

His eyes widened, staring to the side where he couldn't see her, realizing immediately that he was an idiot and maybe he _should_ have dedicated a few more seconds to arranging the thought. Stealing a peek at her, he saw Shinpi blink in surprise a few times then flatten her expression.

"Care to elaborate?" She asked him dully, clearly unimpressed.

Hiei swallowed. Had he meant to impress her? He couldn't really tell what his own goal was here.

"I've always thought Kurama's face was annoying because it's so soft. People underestimate him because of it. And yours is worse." Hiei fumbled, noticing her cool stare. "Worse in the way that its distracting. I mean, it's so feminine how can anyone fight you seriously?"

"Sorry that my face isn't up to your standards?" She phrased it as a question.

"I said it was frustrating and distracting, I didn't say I didn't like it." He shot back at her. This time he'd been looking at her so he closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Shinpi tilted her head, eyebrows pulled down in her confusion as she fixated on the demon next to her with careful attention. What the hell had gotten into him? Why was Hiei talking about her face all of the sudden?

Frowning, she reached over to him, sliding a hand under his bangs to press to his forehead. Hiei stiffened, attempting to pull away, but she scooted closer, fingers trailing the bandana down to the knot on the back of his head. When he turned to look at her his expression was riddled with confusion.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm trying to see if you have a fever." She told him firmly, then pursed her lips. "The bandana is in the way. Take it off."

He went to protest, to tell her that he didn't have a fever and also how moronic it was for her to check, considering his elevated body temperature in general. But the words didn't come and his hand went against him, untying the knot on its own. Then Shinpi got to her knees, leaning over him, right hand pushing back his bangs as she pressed her lips to his forehead. And he froze, unable to think of a single thing to yell at her or how to even just move his body away from her.

If he hadn't been running warm before he was now, for sure, as he felt color flood his face, his eyes wide as he sat struck by the audacity of this woman.

"You feel warmer than usual." She noted, pulling back and releasing him.

Hiei couldn't put his bandana on fast enough, glad for the space between them suddenly. Glad he had something to do that meant he didn't have to look at her. Why was he acting like this? It was just Shinpi.

"Do you want to rest? I can keep watch for a while." Shinpi offered softly, worriedly passing her eyes over her companion despite the pallor of her own skin. "I can wake you when the storm breaks."

Hiei eyed her, not sure if he should accept her generous offer or not. "I'm fine."

"We're going to wait it out anyway, might as well get something out of it." She pointed out, looking back at him with a grin. "Besides, it'll double as a break from having to see my frustrating face."

He felt color rising again, heat lapping at his cheeks as he huffed, pressing his back against the rock. Pulling his knees up, he rested his arms on them, closing his eyes.

He hadn't meant to actually fall asleep but he must've at some point because now he was blinking himself awake. The rain was coming harder than it had before and it had grown darker. How long had he been out? Shifting, he rolled his shoulders to loosen them. The mist from the rain had dampened his shoes at the toes, making him frown.

"It'll break soon." Shinpi told him quietly, arms wrapped around herself while she sat criss-cross. He didn't miss the slight tremor that ran over her body, or the gooseflesh raising on her expose skin. And there was a lot to be exposed with her sitting there in a sports bra and pants.

Hiei moved closer to her, closing the gap between them so his side nearly pressed against hers. Nearly. Not quite. She looked over at him with unguarded curiosity and that was another thing that annoyed him about her. She'd gone from neutral and passive to all of these emotions constantly flickering across her face. But only when she comfortable, he reminded himself. Only amongst those she trusted and wanted to be open with.

"You're cold." Hiei pointed out, in answer to the questions she apparently wasn't going to ask.

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "Don't make yourself uncomfortable because of me."

"I'm more comfortable beside you." He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Before she could call him on it he hurriedly went on. "You took the better half of this hollow. The other side is sloped."

She didn't seem to believe him but didn't press the issue. "Thank you for you sacrifice, then."

"Hn."

Hiei settled against the rock again, one shoulder tucked behind her as she sat upright, not using the back of the hollow for support. It would've been more effective if he could put a leg on either side of her, her back to his chest, he noted mentally but he wasn't about to ask her to move. Especially not to crawl into his lap when he'd already been acting like a total idiot this entire case.

What was it about Shinpi that did this to him? Sometimes it was easy, they teased each other, trained together. Kurama had remarked on their banter more than once. But sometimes, when they were alone, he just couldn't seem to function on that level. His mouth went dry, his tongue becoming the most useless muscle in his body. And despite the fact that they grappled on several occasions, wrestling each other in full contact, the idea of touching her now seemed _different_. He couldn't think of a single time when he'd focused this much on how one of his other teammates had affected his behavior.

"I thought you liked the rain." Hiei told her idly, curious when a strong gust plowed past them and made her shiver violently.

"I love the rain. It's the cold I can't stand." She responded easily. "I've always been sensitive to the cold."

"Seems like a maladaptation for a wolf demoness." He pointed out, the corner of his mouth tilting up.

"I was born and raised in a tropical oasis." Shinpi explained, curling in on herself a little. The wind had been moist and left the hairs on her arms standing on end. Trying not to shiver or let her teeth chatter, she kept talking. "I never really had to experience cold until I was older. I was thoroughly unprepared."

"Sounds amusing." Hiei smirked.

"I'm sure you would've thought so." She agreed, smiling too. "Anyway, I've never really grown accustomed to the co-"

Another bone numbing wind tore through their small hollow, and she stopped talking, gasping angrily at the intrusion. Shivers no longer seemed to cover the sudden convulsions shake her bones, the cold intense and biting. God how she hated this. And then, just as suddenly, warmth. Her eyes widened, rising to Hiei's face.

His hand on her shoulder, then tracing down her arm to where it locked against her other. Then his touch fell down to her leg, the weight of his palm and fingers on her thigh. Her blood was on fire. And her heart stammered, just a moment, at the soft expression on his face. Did he even realize he was making it? That gentle look of concern that burned against her preconceived notions of him? Swallowing her tongue and any words that had been trying to fall off of it, she moved closer to him.

"If you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you." She warned him, moving until she was pressed to his side. His arm circled her, and the shivering stopped after a few seconds.

Hiei was glad her head was tucked down otherwise she might've been able to look at him and he wasn't sure he wanted that. Even now, he was grappling with the fact she was pressed against him so willingly, the hand on her thigh his own. It shouldn't have mattered, but it did.

Fighting back the sudden urge to sleep that Hiei's heat brought along with bone thawing comfort, Shinpi idly figured that if she'd been in his lap, against his chest, this would be more effective. But she wouldn't dare ask. Pressing so close to the fire demon was already crossing lines for the both of them. She couldn't impose any further.

No matter how badly she wanted to.


	24. Goes Without Saying Pt 1

**A/N: So, I'm considering moving to a two day posting schedule. Thursday and Sunday. I'm going to give it a try until the end of the year and see how manageable it feels. We'll see what 2018 brings together haha. Also, this chapter is pt. 1 (pt. 2 will be out Sunday) because it started to get crazy long. That rarely happens to me.**

 **Also, I've been tossing around the notion of retitling this story. It's moving at it's own pace now and while in the same ultimate direction, it is taking different paths than the original. So while not completely new, it does feel like a separate story from The Reborn Forgotten now.**

 **Any thoughts or opinions on the matter? Any suggestions for what a new title should be?**

* * *

 _The sky above seemed bruised, black and blue and purple with the heaviness of the clouds laying in wait overhead. It reflected the injured patches of skin showing through ripped cloth and leather. Red hair billowed in the whipping wind, no longer contained at the back of his head. And before him, a man of taller stature who raggedly pulled himself to his feet._

 _Hiei looked at his hands, his long narrow fingers. His palms were bleeding, cracked and blistered. A web of marks ran up his left arm looking very much like the surface of a glass breaking. His skin was a mirror for the lightning that flashed overhead, and once again it crashed into him, and once again he raised that tired left arm to absorb the blast and direct it through him to the ground. The ground that buckled and bowed under the blown soles of his soft leather boots._

 _In a blur the man attacked, launching forward and they were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Hiei avoided all the worst hits, knowing full well what this man was after. He would rather die than give it to him._

 _The ground cracked and caved._

 _And so did his chest, the act of splitting his attention between two tasks proving too much after such a long fight. He looked down to see a long, tanned arm buried under his breast, spearing through him. He felt the crunch of bones as they snapped, watched the wave of blood that spilled out over the other's skin._

 _The arm withdrew and the worst possible smile greeted him when he looked up at the man's face._

" _You don't have the energy to live." That gleaming, gutless grin. Those hateful golden eyes. God, how Hiei wished he could pluck them from the man's skull. But blood was filling up his throat and spilling down his chest and back and there was no more time._

" _I have just enough to take you with me." Hiei's voice sounded airy and dark, the threat of winds that could tear apart a brick house. With those words the earth split open as if it were a mouth desperate to consume. Hiei's feet found no support and he feel backwards, one hand clutching the man close to ensure he came down too._

 _The fall was dark and the longer the air blew upwards and filtered through Hiei's long red hair, the more blood that rose on the wind, the colder it all grew._

 _His teeth rattled in his skull when he finally hit the bottom, every bit of him breaking at once and it_ hurt _. Blinding, pure pain. A choking breath that crushed out of his lungs. And then, almost as terrible:_

 _Nothing._

Hiei jerked awake with wide eyes and hitched breathing, the sensation of weight shifting off of him jostling him into consciousness. Glancing to the side he scanned over Shinpi's image, her pale skin and shadowed eyes. The slight flush to her cheeks and a sheen of sweat beading on the back of her neck, forehead and temples. With a well-hidden tremor, she stretched her one good arm.

He grabbed her wrist without saying anything, searching her over again and again. His fingers tightened their hold but the bones were all intact. She was there, beside him, whole and alive. He must have looked insane, grabbing onto her the way he had.

Yet he couldn't force himself to stop.

"Hiei, are you alright? You look ashen." Shinpi asked him calmly, cobalt eyes scanning his face. "Are you still feeling ill?"

He was, in fact, feeling ill. But not from some malady.

He didn't know how to tell her he'd seen her nightmare firsthand. If that's even what it was. She hadn't screamed or called out that he remembered. It had been foolish of him to fall asleep when he knew she was as well. How it happened he couldn't say. He'd never accidentally intruded on another's dreams before out of sheer proximity. But it didn't change what he'd seen.

What he'd _felt_.

"We should find the others." He released her just as suddenly as he'd grabbed her, rising quickly to his feet without waiting on a response.

Shinpi followed him without any more questions, though an aura of curiosity and concern hovered around her. He tried to ignore it, his hands in his pockets as they picked their path. She had to take a break not long after they started, her coughing worse than it had been the night before.

"What does Hiro look like?" Hiei asked her, trying to sound casual about it.

Shinpi blinked, wiping her mouth after spitting out a nasty collection of phlegm.

"You're far more handsome." She sidestepped answering, plastering a smile onto her face that did little to hide her aversion to the subject. Then she tipped her head, eyes roving over him again. "Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to know who to look out for." Hiei felt that was a valid enough reason, he even managed to keep his tone steady and brusque. She couldn't argue against it, at least. It would make sense for them to need the information.

"He was a man. Tall." She shrugged. "He had blond hair, tan skin and gold eyes."

The man from her dream. Hiei nodded, trying not to let it bother him.

"You're acting stranger than usual." Shinpi tried to walk up to Hiei's side but he sped up, doing his best to avoid getting close enough for her to read into his expression. "What's this sudden interest in Hiro?"

"I told you." Hiei warned her harshly. "Stop asking me to repeat myself."

She went to say something else but another voice interrupted, announcing they'd found the team.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Yusuke snapped at Hiei and Shinpi as they rounded a bend in the mountain's path.

"Oh, well, you know, we were just taking in the sights." Shinpi tossed back sarcastically, making a point to shift her slung up arm with the statement.

Hiei smirked at her biting remark. "Shinpi needs a healer."

"What, to fix that bitchy attitude?" Yusuke guessed, putting his hands on his hips.

"No one in the three realms is strong enough to accomplish that feat." Hiei muttered and it earned him a chilling glare from the woman beside him who'd had about enough of him that morning.

Yusuke looked between them, then his expression fell. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a bill and slapped it into Kurama's waiting palm. "Stupid fucking insightful fox. I hate betting against you."

Shinpi eyed the exchange without humor, expression dull.

"You're all a waste of my time and energy, I hope you know that." She strode away from Hiei toward Kurama and held out her hand. He pulled a bill out from his own wallet and handed it to her, sliding Yusuke's into its place. "Not a bad cut though. You were right, as usual Kurama."

"He was very sure of himself. It was an easy gamble." Kurama chuckled.

"Fools are often overly confident." Shinpi agreed.

Then she blinked, watching with a tilted head as Kuwabara peeled his shirt off, leaving him in just his muscle tank. He extended the fabric to her with a stern nod and she tentatively accepted it.

"A lady shouldn't have to walk around without a shirt on." He blushed and rubbed his neck. "I mean, if Hiei were half a man he'd have given you his."

Hiei looked down at his blood and river water stained garment, then glared back at Kuwabara. "She didn't ask."

"You're so hopeless. It's no wonder Yusuke lost his bet." Kuwabara accused and that bristled the hair on Hiei's nape. "Any man worth his weight wouldn't need to be asked to take care of a girl. He'd just do it."

Hiei went to snap something scathing at the towering carrot top but Shinpi interjected in a smooth tone.

"Hiei took very good care of me, Kazuma. Please don't heckle him about it." She reached up with her right hand to cup her pupil's cheek. "He cleaned out my wound and even sealed it for me when I asked him to."

Hiei sneered at the display.

"You mean this burn?" Kurama asked, assessing the damage done to her back. Then his gleaming green eyes shifted to Hiei. "How chivalrous."

"She asked me to." Hiei pointed out, growing annoyed. "I don't know what spell she's cast over you all, but it needs to stop."

"Weren't you cold though? All your stuff is with us. And Hiei didn't even lend you his shirt or anything. It's not like he needs it to stay warm." Kuwabara frowned at his mentor who shook her head.

"Hiei has very warm hands." She told him and watched his face turn the color of Kurama's hair. Her teasing grin revealed that she'd been putting on airs, even as Yusuke sputtered. "He built a fire. He's not so useless."

Hiei's expression hid any emotion he might've been feeling, which was good, because he was confused and irritated. For a moment he thought she'd been about to reveal that they'd spent a good portion of the night leaning against one another. He had eventually built a fire, after the rain stopped.

But Shinpi had still slept with her head on his shoulder.

It had been a long, quiet night.

Yusuke eyed them with heavy suspicion, glancing between the two shortest members of their party repeatedly until Hiei thought for sure he'd make himself dizzy. "I dunno, I feel like something happened between you two." He pitched his voice into a whisper and cupped a hand around his mouth as he bent to Hiei's ear. "Did you two make out or something? Come on, you can tell me."

"No."

"She showed you her underwear, didn't she? What color was it? Something saucy like black or red, right?"

"Yusuke." Shinpi called while Kurama applied some salve to her shoulder. She hooked her thumb in the waistband of her pants. "Would you like to check for yourself?"

Her suggestive leer and smarmy smirk made Yusuke balk, and she smirked evilly as he stepped behind Hiei as if to hide from her. Then her attention settled on the fire demon, who had glanced down to her hand and hadn't removed his eyes in time to avoid her catching him. Her eyebrow raised and she pulled the hand away.

"Fine. You two didn't do anything." The detective shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked a rock. "You can't blame a guy for assuming. Two people, lost, alone in the woods. It's one complaint of being cold away from starting a round of uncomfortable nature sex."

"I very much so can blame you." Shinpi told him with a chuckle. "It's not like Hiei is even-"

Her next words were lost as she sprang from Kurama's hands. Very suddenly she had Yusuke's head to her chest with her left arm, even as injured at it was, and her right arm extended in front of her. Blue eyes turned to stone with the rest of her as the ball of energy thrown at him hit a curve of green energy and skittered over the surface, trailing to nothing as it broke apart. Shinpi bared her teeth. A barrage of the blasts came and the same thing happened to all of them as the heady scent of petrichor filled the air, a large circle of wind spinning around the team and forcing them to step closer to her.

"A shield?" Kurama asked her, surprised, touching the field of Shinpi's energy that formed around them all once they were in range. "Impressive."

"Every knight worth their weight in armor carries a shield." Shinpi told him easily as she released her energy.

"Let me guess. You can't use it to defend yourself. Only people you don't _loathe_." Hiei's voice rumbled behind her and with it came a spike of heat.

"You know me so well, Hiei." Shinpi glanced back at him without a smile. "Though I wish you'd know me a little less loudly when we're so completely surrounded."

And she was right, of course. During the attack a group of demons had come from the rocks above, below and the sides of them leaving them nowhere to flee. Shinpi studiously raised her hands, palms out, and stepped back behind Yusuke and Kurama. The fox demon eyed her.

"Wolf demons." He spoke the word like it was her fault.

"It's not like they're mine personally, which, unfortunately will prove to be more of a problem than if they were." She assured him. "An established pack isn't going to take kindly to a rogue's presence if they sense what I am. It's probably best that we avoid that subject."

Hiei eyed the beings around them. Humanoid. Dressed in skins and furs. Some had triangular ears atop their heads and bushy tails that hung to their calves. Others merely had ears like a human's, but curved to a mild point at the tip. Long nails and bared fangs. Enough of them to definitely take down a few stray humans and tear them apart. They stood at least as tall as Yusuke, if not taller.

Shinpi slipped Kuwabara's shirt over her head and stooped to slide the wooden sword through her belt loops. Hiei glanced around at the numbers. Ten. Not enough to pose too serious a threat to the team.

A man broke through the crowd and Shinpi snorted, having to turn her face away from him to hide her irritation. His lumbering form was as tall as Kuwabara, thick dark hair tied up in a ponytail at the back of his head. Furs wrapped around his waist over pants clearly made of treated animal skin. Barefoot. He wore no shirt other than a cape also made of fur, tied over his shoulders by leather string.

"We don't appreciate intruders in our territory." He spoke with a throaty growl. "My name is Katsuo. This is my pack."

"Yeah, well, we don't appreciate having to come out to this shitty mountain." Yusuke groused. "But someone here has been killing humans and now we gotta real problem on our hands."

"Perhaps, don't insult their land." Shinpi kept her suggestion quiet. Then louder, though she kept herself hidden. "We're here to help find the culprit so that no one else needs to disturb you."

The man blinked at the sound of her voice, then shuffled to the side slightly to get a look at her between the shoulders of Kurama and Yusuke, who moved closer together to keep her out of sight.

"Who are you?" Katsuo asked curiously. "You're the one who defended these men. You're quick on your feet."

"I am." Shinpi agreed coolly. "I won't tolerate these men being harmed."

"Parley."

Shinpi started, glancing at Hiei to be sure she'd even heard him correctly, the word had been muttered so quietly. He raised his eyebrows slightly but kept his expression neutral. With a subtle nod she acknowledged his request.

" _What are you doing?"_ Hiei demanded, his jaw tightening even as he refused to speak the words aloud.

" _Trying to avoid a fight."_ She glanced at him, eyes narrowed just the barest bit. _"Not all of them are guilty. We need their help finding the right demon. Cooperation would be best, if it can be had."_

"Leave her alone." Kuwabara moved to Shinpi's other side when the alpha went to walk around the group, his eyes glued to the spot he knew she was standing in.

"Move." The man flickered his gaze to the carrot top, unimpressed.

"I said leave her alone." Kuwabara repeated hotly, planting his feet, ever the valiant warrior.

Shinpi sighed heavily, her annoyance clear in the exhale and before he had a chance to produce his sword she had whipped herself around Kuwabara and used her right hand to grab the fist aimed for his chest. The action forced Kuwabara to blink, then look at his mentor with awe and a little hurt. Her fingers tightened over knuckles much larger than her own, and her gaze fell flatly onto the man towering over her. Her left arm might be useless, but her legs sure weren't.

She slammed her right shin into the outside of Katsuo's thigh, buckling the leg before she spun and bit her fist into his high cheekbone. He went to strike her and she ducked under it. Every hit he attempted to land she avoided by twirling, ducking or arching her body away, each movement lined with control and grace as if she were performing a dance for them. Even her opponent had a tinge of appreciation lighting his eyes. Her left foot kicked out the back of his knees, forcing him down while she had her back to him and her arm laced around his throat from behind, her teeth grazing his earlobe as she hissed her next words.

A pang shot through Hiei's guts at the display of it, something hot and fierce and he couldn't quite tell if the emotion was excitement or jealousy. He dismissed either notion quickly enough. Yusuke hollered Shinpi's name in support, slamming his fist into his open palm and suggesting she kick the man's ass.

"I told you I would not tolerate anyone harming them." She reminded, putting more pressure on his throat with her arm. "We are here to help you. Stop being a fool."

"You're left arm is weak, you haven't used it." He pointed out darkly. "I will rip it off your body and-"

"You're right. I need a healer and I suspect your pack harbors one. It would be kind of you to offer them to me." She made it sound like a suggestion but the demand rang clear in her tone.

"I will not have my pack-"

Shinpi flung him to the side, sending him rolling over the boulders of the mountain's face. Her footsteps fell silent as she stalked toward him, her presence feeling all the larger and more oppressive as she barreled down on the man.

Kurama and Hiei glanced at each other, subtly testing the other's reaction before they both turned back to watch.

"I'll just have to give you a reason to see them yourself." Shinpi growled the words and landed another punch on his face as he tried to rise. And then another, until he fell back to the ground with panting breaths. She knelt with one knee on his chest, her fingers circling his throat and bowed her head so it was mere inches from his.

Katsuo's demeanor changed entirely with his new position, his eyes growing light and his lips parting. Dark irises flickered back and forth, eyes scanning over Shinpi's expression and face even as her fingers tightened. Then he relaxed in her hold, blood streaming down his cheek and from his nose, and now from the nail marks she was leaving on his throat. Panting, he studied her and then smiled while holding eye contact. Shinpi dug her knee into his chest, head tilting in a knowing way.

"You're going to help us. You're going to respect my friends. And you're going to bring me that fucking healer." She demanded harshly, her unwavering stare still boring into the man below her.

"Fuyuko you heard the woman. Come heal her." Katsuo commanded and a wolf demon with triangular ears broke through the others and marched over immediately. "Tell me what you need from me."

Shinpi sneered at him. "I need nothing from you. Consult my friends, this is their job, not mine. I'm just here to make sure no one gets killed."

She pulled off the wolf demon who laid still a moment longer before following her to his feet. He bowed his head to her and took her hand, brushing his lips against it. The display earned a derisive snort from Hiei and Shinpi alike, and a dark look of amusement from Kurama.

"Of course she's a true alpha." Kurama muttered, sounding mildly annoyed. "Why wouldn't she be?"

" _So much for avoiding a fight."_ Hiei huffed, walking over to Shinpi as she fell into a wracking coughing fit. _"Are you proud of yourself?"_

" _That wasn't a fight. I was establishing dominance and you'll note he's very cooperative now."_

"We have teas that will help with your cough." The younger man healing her told her softly. "It'll cure your fever as well."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it." Shinpi got to her feet. "Lead the way Fuyuko."

His eyes widened and then he smiled a bit before bobbing his head readily, moving to guide her away. Hiei went to follow but she shook her head.

"Stay with your team." She advised. "Find what information you can from these guys. I'll come back."

He frowned at her willingness to walk away with strangers, but turned to listen to Yusuke explain the situation to the alpha. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he noticed Kuwabara was gone and Kurama offered the explanation that he'd followed Shinpi through the hidden entrance that lead into the mountain side.

* * *

"You didn't need to do that." Kazuma complained as he watched attentively over the process of Shinpi getting healed and the preparation of her tea. "I coulda taken him."

"I know." Shinpi didn't smile. "Honestly, I was hoping he'd try something. I'm sorry Kazuma, I ruined your chance to prove what you've learned. I just woke up angry this morning and needed someone to take it out on. Plus, we need this pack's cooperation, but it didn't have to be me to earn it. I should have stayed behind you."

He obviously hadn't expected her honest apology, because he floundered for a moment. "Why are you so pissed off?"

"I had a dream. It wasn't a good one. And then Hiei started asking me questions that drudged up some old anger." She admitted, accepting the brew as it was passed to her in a clay cup. "It's one of the uglier sides of my personality, my selfishness and it certainly reared its head just now. How can I make it up to you?"

He stared at her hard.

"You think I coulda won?" He asked her quietly, toying with his fingers as he spoke.

"I know it." She smiled softly. Then with a grin added. "If it hadn't been you he was attacking I might have let it slide, but you're precious to me and it's hard to step back and not protect you."

He blushed then, and fussed with the back of his head. "Aw, man, you can't keep saying stuff like that. It's embarrassing Hichi."

She chuckled lightly, before coughing again. He put a worried hand on her shoulder. "I'm alright, Kazuma. Just the remnants of my dip in the river."

"You know, I think you'd have done it for any of us. You like us." He teased her, moving his hand to the top of her hair and mussing it up. "You moved to defend Yusuke too. And you jumped after Hiei even though you hate heights."

"It seems Kurama is the only sensible one amongst you lot." She sipped her tea coyly. "So far he's the only one who hasn't needed my help."

"I shoulda sensed that demon." Kuwabara agreed, crestfallen and it earned a head tilt from his mentor. "You woke up and saved me like it was nothing. It was pretty amazing but it shouldn't have had to happen."

"Kazuma." Shinpi lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, eyebrows drawn down and together. "It's in my nature to protect those I care about dearly. It's purely instinct. Please, I beg you, don't take it as a comment on your abilities. I have acted rashly to protect perfectly capable fighters my entire life."

"Is that why you threw yourself after Hiei?" He asked curiously, genuinely interested in her answer. "Instinct?"

But she started at his question, eyes widening as if she hadn't considered her own motives. There was no chance to answer because Fuyuko returned to them with a salve and bandages and began to work on Shinpi's shoulder as she drank her tea. And she was thankful for the distraction, even as her eyes flitted toward the healer with slightly pinched corners.

* * *

"You're free to stay among us to resolve this issue as your woman recovers." Katsuo offered to the three men, hands on his hips and feet shoulder width apart.

"She's no one's woman." Hiei had meant to sound indifferent, callous even, but the words came out like a warning.

"Surely one of you has had the sense to stake a claim on her." Katsuo stared at him, incredulous.

"The sensible thing is to give her a wide berth and hope she doesn't kill you in our sleep." Hiei responded in a dry tone. "She has no time for romance and she lacks the patience for anything that isn't her goal. Trying to entice her is ill-advised."

"I'll have to come to that conclusion myself." The man's face split into a grin, his eyes flashing toward the entrance to the mountain's lair that earned a sneer from the fire demon. "A woman like that, she should be held in high esteem."

Hiei huffed, rolling his eyes. This idiot's idol flattery was only going to get him killed. Shinpi had never even hinted at caring about the men who flirted with her. He'd seen it firsthand on several occasions now. Wolf demon or not, the man stood no chance.

Shinpi's tastes were too discerning. The only thing she courted was revenge and this man was not the way to find it.

"Speaking of the visage of beauty." Katsuo looked passed Yusuke and Hiei to where Kuwabara and Shinpi were coming out of the cave. "Are you feeling better? Did Fuyuko work to your expectations?"

His obvious need to please the woman earned him a dour look from Hiei and one of amusement from nearly everyone else.

"I'll continue drinking the tea he gave me." Shinpi allowed, eyes narrowed on the alpha as she passed a sachet of herbs to Kurama for safekeeping. "I've changed my mind. I do need your help."

"Anything." The man grinned, raising his chin and puffing out his chest. "What is it you need?"

"Clothing and access to the area, uninhibited." She demanded, her stance similar to his.

It was obvious they were subtly squaring off with one another. Shinpi to prove her power over the man and Katsuo to regain whatever pride he could while simultaneously drooling over the woman.

"It's dangerous to wander this mountain." Katsuo argued. "Even someone as fierce as you would need a guide."

"I'm an expert tracker." Shinpi told them all, nonplussed by the whole affair.

"Of course you are." Hiei and Katsuo spoke in unison but in vastly different tones. One unamused and the other enamored. Crimson eyes glanced toward brown, an eyebrow raised.

Did these animals have no shame?

"I'd still feel more comfortable if someone were to accompany you." Katsuo paced closer to her, his fingertips skimming over the line of her jaw.

Hiei waited for her to catch his fingers with her teeth but the moment never came. What a disappointment.

"Beautiful." Katsuo breathed the word as if it was the first time he'd ever uttered it, eyes glued to her face. "You're a daunting woman Miss?"

"Mikamoto." She gave her human last name and it visibly confused her traveling companions. "Your empty compliments mean very little to me, you should know that."

"Mikamoto." He tested the name and nodded. "Perhaps there will come a time when I'll earn the privilege of your first name."

"I doubt it." She assured him. "As for needing a guide, I'll have Kurama with me. There's no need to pull you away from your pack. I'm sure you have very important things to do."

Her tone suggestion she thought just the opposite. But it didn't faze the alpha in the least bit. He merely nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder to guide her back through the mountain pass that lead to the inner sanctum, asking her about her preferences in attire.

Beyond the initial rock-formed tunnel that served as the entry there lie a small village in the heart of the mountain. It seemed nestled between peaks with an expanse of sky overhead and natural walls on all sides. A fairly protected home. A waterfall cascaded down the back wall from their entry-point, providing the wolves with a pool of crystalline water. Moss softened the jagged edges of boulders and rock faces. Several shacks and huts had been built, each with a designated purpose.

The wolves milled about, watching the newcomers warily even as they were lead in by Katsuo. Shinpi scanned her attention over every face she saw, quick and sharp assessments running through her mind. Hiei tipped his head to the side slightly, glancing at her. He hadn't bothered requesting entry to her thoughts. He wanted to know why she hadn't brushed that lumbering fool's hand off her body yet. Katsuo had allowed the appendage to travel to Shinpi's back.

Instead, Hiei became fascinated by the woman's adept perception of those around her. She felt absolute in her judgements, brushing several of the wolf demons off her suspect list with only those precursory glances. Was she correct? How could she be so confident with so little information?

"Your men will have to accept this for lodging." Katsuo spoke only to Shinpi now, as if the rest of them didn't exist despite her telling him twice to address Urameshi as their leader. "I'm sure it'll do for their brief stay."

"We'll make do." Shinpi deftly shut down his obvious attempt to separate her from the others.

Katsuo smiled, not even ashamed of being caught in the act. "If you find it uncomfortable you're free to seek refuge elsewhere."

She didn't respond to him, eyes scanning over the building. Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara marched into it.

"You said something about clothes?" Yusuke glanced at Shinpi who nodded back to him so he turned to Katsuo. "Where do we go for that?"

"I'll escort her to our stock." Katsuo narrowed his eyes. "She'll be free to choose whatever she wants from what we have."

"While I'm gone, why don't you mingle, Urameshi? Packs as established as this one tend to have all sorts of interesting stories to tell. I'm sure they have expert craftsmen as well. You might it interesting." Shinpi suggested lightly, but her intent rang clear.

She would keep Katsuo busy for a while so he could investigate.

"Yeah, I haven't met many wolf demons. It'll be cool to get to know a few." He nodded. "I'll just settle in first."

Shinpi turned back to the alpha and allowed him to guide her away, their conversation quiet.

* * *

"I didn't find jack shit." Yusuke complained, one arm tossed in the air to emphasize all of the nothing he'd found, his other arm slung over the back of the bench situated to one side of the table in their hut. "How about you?"

Hiei scowled in answer from his post at Yusuke's side. The wolf demon's he'd investigated came up empty. He should have trusted Shinpi's instincts instead of wasting time double checking. As it turned out, her snap assessments had been fairly accurate.

"Fuyuko said there was some talk a while back about the human town." Kuwabara announced, leaning on the table between the three of them with his elbows. "I guess the pack and the town have been pretty good to each other. The wolves keep scarier demons from the area and the humans provide aid when needed, food and stuff."

"Then why are they hunting down the humans?" Hiei demanded hotly.

"I mean, have we considered that they're not?" Kuwabara frowned at him. "Just because they're wolves doesn't make them killers."

"The woman suspects the killer is amongst them." Hiei pointed out darkly.

"Yeah, she seems pretty sure about that." Yusuke agreed, but he didn't look happy to do it. "I heard her talking to Kurama before they set out to examine the area. She's positive our guy is around here somewhere."

"I find it odd she suspects a single killer instead of the whole pack." Hiei craned his neck back to stare at the shoddy ceiling and the light peeking through the spaces between bundles of thatch.

"You've got a point, actually." Yusuke agreed. "I was thinking that too."

"Did her arm at least work before she trotted off with the fox?" Hiei moved his gaze to Yusuke.

"Oh, you didn't see her?" Kuwabara turned to face the fire demon. "Yeah, Fuyuko worked some serious magic on her shoulder. It'll still scar but she can use it just fine. Her cough is still pretty bad though."

Hiei wrinkled his nose with the information. "It's been steadily getting worse."

"What happened?" Kuwabara and Yusuke prodded in unison.

Hiei stared at them both like they were idiots. "Nothing. She caught me, injured herself, kept me from drowning and then I did what I could for her shoulder. After that we went as far as we could at her pace and made camp."

"She breathed in a bunch of water." Kuwabara turned to Yusuke with the news. "When she hit the rocks at the bottom of the river she was knocked out. Came to a little too late. She didn't worry about it at first because Hiei was in such bad shape."

"I was fine." Hiei snapped at him. "I merely went unconscious for a time while I was underwater. It's not as if it were serious."

"That's called drowning." Yusuke smirked at him. "Aww, did she have to give you mouth to mouth?"

"I'm about tired of your insinuations, detective. The woman and I don't have anything lewd going on behind closed doors." Hiei growled. "Why she even bothered jumping after me I'll never know. All we tend to do is fight or argue."

"She said it was instinct." Kuwabara told Hiei with a shrug. "You were in trouble and she moved without thinking about it because she wanted to protect you. I guess it's just how she operates or something. She said she's always been like that."

Hiei cursed inwardly as that damn shuddering rocked his chest again, warmth spreading through him. She'd dove after him purely on instinct? Out of a desire to protect him? What sort of fool was she? And yet, the warmth didn't fade with his internal grumbling, only grew stronger.

"Instincts like that get people killed." Hiei responded with annoyance.

"Well, in this case, they kept your stubborn ass alive." Yusuke huffed at the fire demon. "God, when are those two smart asses getting back? I'm hungry."

"So go eat." Hiei glowered at him.

"Katsuo wants to wait for _Mikamoto_ to get back." Yusuke griped, rolling his eyes. "That guy is a little creepy with his obvious obsession."

"His persistence does leave something to be desired." Hiei agreed, sneering. "She's done nothing but rebuff him yet he seems to be assuming he can still win her over."

Almost as if summoned, the hut door opened and Kurama walked in deep in conversation with Shinpi. Hiei stared at her, unblinking, as he took in her outfit. She was dressed like all the other wolf demons, leather and fur abound, except unlike the majority of the demons she wore soft-soled leather boots.

They reminded Hiei of the dream he'd intruded on and he abruptly snapped his attention back to her face.

"They pack is preparing dinner." She announced to the room, breaking whatever conversation she'd been having with the fox. "He said if you're hungry you should join them now."

"Thank god." Yusuke shot up from his seat. "I thought he was going to make us wait forever."

Kuwabara's stomach growled at the moment too, and he blushed as he hurried after Yusuke. Kurama glanced at Hiei, frowned, then turned his attention back to Shinpi.

"We'll finish our conversation later." He assured her, an odd reaction that Hiei made sure to note.

She touched his arm and nodded, almost as if she were reassuring him. The contact lasted longer than it needed to, in Hiei's opinion.

"Seems you've managed to wrap another man around your finger." Hiei accused darkly, eyes narrowed as the woman sauntered over to him.

"All of Katsuo's doting is getting annoying." Shinpi complained, coming to sit beside Hiei in their borrowed hut.

She kept a good half-foot between their bodies, something he noticed immediately. It seemed her affinity to physical affection wasn't extended to him today and he was thankful. He'd had about as much contact with her as he could take.

"I thought for sure you'd be basking in it, _princess_." Hiei dared to use the moniker in this private space, and it earned the reaction he'd hoped for. Shinpi sneered at him. "Aren't you used to people worshiping the ground you walk on?"

"No. I'm not actually. I wasn't raised to expect such things." She growled at him. "I didn't come of age as a princess until after my grandfather died and at that point I was on the run, so."

That caught his attention. "I thought you were born into your title."

"Technically." She allowed. "By my grandfather's designation. But I wasn't raised with the intent to serve the thrown so soon. I was raised with the other children, not above them. It was extremely important to my father and mother that I relate more to the commonwealth than I did to royalty."

Hiei scanned his eyes over her, either impressed or surprised. It was a toss-up of which expression grew light in his eyes.

"Don't worry Hiei, I still slept in a castle and dined in a hall. I'm just as pretentious as you suspect in some ways, I'm sure. I don't want to totally shatter your image of me."

"The only image I have of you is this one." Hiei pointed out, sweeping a hand to encompass her form. "And even without castles and halls you're still pretentious."

Her brow arched. "I suppose I have to make up for my annoying face in some way."

His cheeks colored for a flash before he controlled the reaction, snarling at her to shut up.

"It was a slip of the tongue."

"Perhaps the next time your tongue slips it'll be more enjoyable for both of us." She kept her tone light, even. Not her usual obvious flirtation, and it earned a suspicious glance from the man at her side. "What have you learned about our gracious hosts?"

"That your magnetism transcends reason." Hiei groused. "That idiot pack leader practically drowns in his own saliva every time he so much as thinks of you. But he's not the one we're looking for."

"You sound disappointed. Were you hoping for a piece of him?" She put her hand on the expanse of bench between their bodies, leaning toward him with a leering grin.

"Perhaps if he got a piece of you he'd shut up." Hiei snapped at her, refusing to look her in the eye. "It's been less than a day and I'm already tired of his pining."

"Are you suggesting I seduce Katsuo to shut him up?" Her tone betrayed her genuine surprise.

Hiei tensed, because he had been suggesting it but not in seriousness. When he dared to glance at the woman her lips were pursed as if he'd done something dissatisfactory. Not that he could blame her in this instance.

"No." Hiei covered his comment with a glower. "I was suggesting your rip the lummoxes throat out."

Those too keen eyes scanned him again and he shot to his feet, tired of being watched so closely and thoroughly. Shinpi could keep her damn assessments. He didn't want or need them.

"I thought we were competing to see who could end this misery faster." Hiei pointed out as he marched to the door. "You're falling behind."

"I'm not." She assured him, moving to take up more space on the bench he'd vacated. It meant that she propped her legs on the surface crossing the at the ankles and leaning back on her palms. An expanse of thigh showed under the high cut hide-and-fur sarong wrapped around her waist, and a sliver of her muscle-lined abdomen peeked from between the sarong and the leather vest tied shut she wore as a shirt.

"You're not what?" Hiei asked her, realizing he'd been staring for far too long without saying anything.

It was hard to focus with her looking as natural as he'd ever seen her. Did she wear these sorts of clothes in her homeland? Was she as feral a creature as she appeared to be in this moment? It suited her, even if it wasn't the case. She could easily have been this pack's prize princess if she wanted to.

Her lips pulled into a guarded, lopsided grin.

"I'm not falling behind. I have my suspects. I've already begun investigating them in fact." Shinpi shook her head slightly and it caused her hair to shiver freely, a wave of black that contrasted against the paleness of her exposed arms and legs.

Hiei took a step away from the door toward her, his intent lost the minute Yusuke came sauntering into the small hut. The detective let out a low whistle as he studied Shinpi and the woman winked at him. Hiei hated the easy display of it.

"Damn, Hichi. Looking good." He gave her a thumbs up and it earned a genuine chuckle from her that she didn't bother hiding behind her hand.

"They're just clothes." Hiei glared at the back of Yusuke's head as the man walked over to the bench, apparently either done eating or having come to fetch them.

Yusuke slid an arm under Shinpi's legs, lifting them and then letting them fall over her lap instead of telling her to move. She seemed amused by his brazen behavior, shaking her head. But it was the detective who turned to Hiei quizzically when the fire demon's aura spiked, just barely. Hiei turned without a word and marched out of the building altogether. The sooner he found this man-eater the better.

"You two fighting?" Yusuke wondered, turning his attention to Shinpi.

"He's in one of his moods." She shrugged. "I think he may be upset I'm slacking off on this case."

"Are you slacking?"

"Of course not. I've already discussed my suspicions with Kurama and he's doing the legwork." She waved a hand through the air.

"I dunno. I feel like it was me that set him off." Yusuke glanced toward the door.

"I doubt it. Hiei's recent behavior has one common thread: me." Shinpi pulled her legs off of Yusuke's lap and leaned back against the bench. Her toes barely grazed the floor for the height of the seat, so she swung her feet back and forth idly. Staring at the ceiling she went on. "It seems that any display of affection toward his allies from me bothers him. My only guess at this time is that he doesn't trust my motives."

Yusuke snorted, because that was about as far from his guess as she could have gotten. "You think so, huh?"

"You have a different theory?" She piqued at that revelation.

"Hiei trusts you." Was all Yusuke would say on the matter and that earned a puckered expression. "If he didn't, he wouldn't have let you come."

"Again, I'd like to remind you that Hiei doesn't control my actions." Shinpi responded dully.

"No, but he does report to us and Koenma. And if he thought you were untrustworthy he would've made sure you weren't here." Yusuke dug his pinky into his ear as he spoke then flicked the bit of wax he produced to the ground.

Shinpi watched with disgusted fascination.

"I wasn't aware Hiei reported to anyone." The sudden chill that entered her tone made Yusuke cast a sidelong glance her way. "This was never brought up to me. What, exactly, does he tell you people?"

"About as much as he would tell anyone, I guess. Most of his updates are just him saying you're still alive and that you hadn't managed to kill anyone." The detective shrugged. "Why, you hiding something?"

"I just hadn't realized my conversations with him were privy to the whole of Spirit World." She frowned deeply.

"Oh, dude, they aren't. Trust me. Trying to get him to say anything specific is like pulling teeth." Yusuke groused. "He's a fucking titanium vault. And when you come up? He goes right into lockdown mode. Unless he thinks you're in immediate danger, he doesn't have shit to say about you without being forced."

"And the rest of you? What do you have to say about me?" She asked quietly, withdrawn slightly.

Yusuke frowned along with her, and then sighed heavily. "To Koenma? Not a damn thing."

"And to each other?" She pressed, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. "Do you all meet up and discuss me behind my back?"

"We talk, yeah, but it's not a conspiracy or anything. Mostly we just try to figure out how we can help you or if you'll make food when we show up at your place. Oh, last week Kuwabara and I did get into a fight because I _know_ you're the one who knocked his high score off at the arcade and put in my name." Yusuke hit her in the shoulder for that, a light punch that did little to ease her tension. "Hey, loosen up. We've got your back."

"You should answer Koenma's questions. Protecting me at the expense of his trust is foolish." She got to her feet and brushed her hands down the front of her borrowed clothes.

"Psh. Foolish is my middle name!" Yusuke followed her to his feet with a guffaw. "Diaper boy can bite me if he thinks I'm giving him any dirt on one of my friends. And he knows it too. You know, when we talk to him he never asks too many questions. I think he wants to be kept in the dark."

That earned her attention when she was halfway to the door, and she turned to study Yusuke for signs of dishonesty. But his words made sense, especially given her recent conversation with the prince. Interesting. Perhaps she'd been too hard on the demi-god. If he'd been actively trying to suppress information about her, he might be more trustworthy than she'd previously assumed.

"I like you, Urameshi." She told him with all the certainty in the world.

"Yeah, you're not too bad yourself. Y'know, for a girl." He laughed and slapped a hand onto her shoulder, walking out of the hut with her. "So, we going to talk about how wolf-boy is practically humping your leg?"

"It's nothing worth discussing. He's not my type." She brushed off his leer. "I'm not currently interested in being courted, even if he were."

"Y'know, Hiei said something like that to the guy. Told him he was wasting his time and it was _ill-advised_ to try to get into your pants."

That birthed a sinister smirk from the woman, who then chuckled deviously to herself. "It's funny that Hiei fancies himself an expert on the subject considering his total lack of experience."

Yusuke chortled, moving from having a hand on her shoulder to just throwing his entire arm there as if they were the oldest of friends. Shinpi allowed him to continue to ramble jokes off at Hiei's expense, a wide grin on her face that crinkled the corners of her eyes. Yusuke's behavior was often infectious and even she wasn't entirely immune to it.

Her mind turned back to her conversation with Koenma and the inevitable outcome of this mission. How would these boys react to her freedom? Would they continue to speak to her so freely? Would Yusuke still come over to ransack her video game cabinet? Would Kuwabara want to keep up their weekly training schedule? Her scheduled Sunday afternoon lunch dates with Kurama, would they be forfeit? And Hiei, would he scurry back to Mukuro once he was no longer mandated to be her guardian?

The grin slipped as her thoughts robbed her of her jovial mood.

In order for her arrangement with Koenma to work out, she needed the freedom to move when she pleased. She couldn't accomplish her given task if she had an impertinent fire demon attached to her hip. But she also hadn't demanded an absolute separation, had she? Just freedom. Space.

It startled her to realize that she was grappling with _missing_ these idiots. The idea that they'd no longer want to be around her _bothered_ her. When the hell had that happened?

Her eyes flickered to Yusuke as he told another lewd joke about Hiei and her lips once again found the footing for a smile. She wasn't sure when she'd started to genuinely feel invested in these men, or accepted by them, but couldn't deny it made her happy.


	25. Goes Without Saying Pt 2

" _Get down here, Hichi."_

 _Shinpi swirled around the top of the tree she stood in, one hand tracing over the trunk as she moved her feet deftly to the next branch so she could peer down at her father, a tall man with messy black hair and cobalt blue eyes. "You called?"_

" _You're up too high, Hichi. Come down, please." He yelled back up to her and she grinned brightly with a smile lacking a few teeth that had yet to grow back in before simply stepping off the branch and landing in a crouch in front of him, the thirteen foot fall seemingly nothing for her._

 _Kotaru frowned at his daughter then ruffled a hand through her red hair and sighed. "You're going to give me a heart attack. Must you tempt the fates?"_

" _If not me then who else?" She asked stretching. "Even fates should stay on their toes, father."_

" _Don't get smart, darling."_

" _Sorry."_

" _Leave the girl alone. She harbors the Takani spirit in full." Hichirou walked toward his son and granddaughter, his wife Aina at his side. "She's adventurous and this little speck of land will never be enough to feed her soul."_

 _Shinpi flashed the old man a grin that brightened the forest around them. "I'm going to go see the world someday, just like you grandpa!"_

" _Maybe, someday." He agreed and smiled at her with the same blinding, lopsided grin. "For now my girl you have work to do."  
_

" _I don't like the other children. They're boring." Shinpi complained, sulking. "They have no drive to learn. And they dream so small."_

" _Amon-Shinpi, those are your people. Speak more respectfully about them." Her father admonished sharply. "Just because they don't share your vision doesn't make theirs any less important."_

" _Unless it is." Her grandfather interjected and earned an elbow to the ribs from his wife._

" _Stop it. Let Kotaru parent his child." Aina warned her husband. "Darling girl, you need to heed your father."_

" _But grandfather says that there's so much more than this place and I want to see it. One day I'll go out into the world and what good will mingling with the village boys do then? What are they teaching me that I can take with me to Tourin or Alaric?"_

" _We don't go to Alaric, Amon-Shinpi. And neither will you." Kotaru hushed her sharply. "Mukuro isn't nearly as kind as Raizen. We don't mix with him. You know that."_

" _I don't want to mix with him, I want to beat him." Shinpi flexed her tiny arm, still thin from her youth. "I'll show him whose alpha."_

" _But, first, you'll tend to your lessons." Aina took her granddaughter's hand and smiled down at her with overflowing kindness. "Today is history. Perhaps I'll be able to tell you why it's so important to know your people inside and out as well."_

" _It's because without them we have nothing." Shinpi heaved a sigh. "But I don't want to rule I want to fight."_

" _There's no need to fight. We're a peaceful nation and we'll keep it that way as long as we can." Kotaru frowned at his willful child. "Now, go. You're late. Kuya is still waiting because you promised you'd walk her to school and-."_

" _-a Takani always keeps their promises. We're honorable people and we need to act like it." Shinpi finished for him, her tone bored and mildly whiny. "If it's for Kuya, I'll do it."_

 _He watched as she walked away with her grandmother._

" _She's just like you." He turned to his father with a scowl. "She thirsts for a power that will ruin her."  
_

" _She wants to be strong enough to protect what she loves. There's no harm in that." Hichirou shook his head._

" _She's stubborn. She wants to fight, and she wants to leave. I don't know where she gets these notions from."_

" _I'm also perplexed." Hichirou lied very poorly and then smiled at his son. "Indulge her hungers, Kotaru. Fulfill her longing heart. She's a good girl and she'll grow up strong. You don't want her resenting this place for holding her back."_

" _This is her home; it can't hold her back." Kotaru argued._

" _Just as it never held you." Hichirou reminded easily, a light sparking in his eyes. "If you'd never run away from home I'd have never been blessed with such beautiful, intelligent, and willful granddaughters."_

" _She's too young." Kotaru switched gears, walking beside his father. "She's not ready to face the world or the other kings. She speaks off the cuff and acts brashly. All she'll accomplish is getting herself killed."_

" _She's a child."  
_

" _That will not spare her from them."_

 _Hichirou gave up for the moment and began to walk in silence._

 _That night, long after the sun had set, a redheaded young girl walked into Hichirou's private study with wide blue eyes and a studious glance toward his shelves. She deposited an armful of books onto his desk before marching to a shelf she hadn't perused yet and scanned the spines of the leather bound tomes._

" _What happened to your face?" Hichirou asked of his granddaughter, noting her concerted effort to keep her bruised cheek from his view._

" _A boy called Kuya ugly and pulled her hair so I hit him. He hit me back. But I won in the end." She assured him. "I'll always win for Kuya."_

 _Her certainty was undeniable. But her hand faltered over the spines of the books and fell uselessly to her side._

" _I'm still too weak though. By my age you'd already begun to master wind." She turned to face her grandfather with a gaze too probing for a child, too astute. "Why can't I feel the elements yet?"_

" _It'll come." He promised her._

" _When?"_

" _When it's your time."  
_

" _I'm tired of everyone telling me to wait all the time." Shinpi stomped one foot onto the cold stone floor. "How can I keep Kuya safe if I can't use the wind? What good am I as a firstborn if I don't have any elements to call on? My role is to keep everyone safe and if I can't do that-"_

" _You're putting too much pressure on yourself." Hichirou smiled at her, walking around his desk to crouch in front of the young girl. "Who do you think you need to protect her from, anyway?"_

" _Anyone, everyone." Shinpi responded with vehemence. "Father may believe we are safe from conflict, but I'm not so convinced. The new children talk of war and overlords and blood thirsty brutes. It's what they flee. It's why they're here."_

" _Our gates are open to anyone who is willing to abide our rules."_

" _Which is kind, but that doesn't keep our people safe if we are attacked." She argued. "If the demons who struck this fear into those children come, we need to be able to fight. I need to be able to fight."_

" _Your father, mother and I are enough."_

" _You're old and father would prefer to talk someone into submission." Shinpi told him. "Mother is the only one who would choose to fight and even then, she listens too much to father."_

" _One day you'll understand why." Hichirou grinned at her and chuckled behind his hand._

" _No man will ever dictate my actions." Shinpi stared at her grandfather as she planted her feet and crossed her arms. "Kuya can get married and become queen when her time comes, and I'll serve as her right hand the whole time to keep her safe."_

" _Like I said, you'll understand one day." Hichiro patted her on the head and smiled at her. "Someday you'll meet someone whose motives you don't question. When they ask you to be still, you'll do it because you trust them to have your best interests in heart."_

" _I already have that person: Kuya."_

" _Then you are luckier than most, because many of us spend our lives searching for someone to listen to."_

Shinpi sat by the fire in the center of the small village, a notebook poised on her lap as she recalled her memories and those filled in by her grandfather's now lost journals. The man transcribed every day of his life onto paper and at some point in the distant past she'd read all those words. After he was gone. After her father and mother had been killed. It eased her pain on days when the world seemed harshest.

Her pen set idle against the lined paper, her habit of keeping a daily journal seeming to matter little as she realized no one would ever see them. For her, her grandfather's journals had lit hope and offered guidance when she needed them most. And most of her life up to now had driven her to detail her days in and out in bound notebooks.

So why was it so hard to describe her day today? Why couldn't she call on the words to speak of her saving Hiei the day before? What was blocking her?

"That's not an expression I thought I'd ever see on your face." That brusque tone could only belong to one man.

Shinpi turned to watch as Hiei looked her over. "And what, exactly, was my expression?"

"Doubt." He told her, stalking closer but only enough so that he could keep his voice low. He didn't dare get within an arm's length of her.

"Sometimes you're too perceptive for your own good." She offered him a wan smile.

"Who knew all it would take to intimidate you was an empty piece of paper." He commented, glancing at her notebook. "What are you writing?"

"Nothing, apparently." She closed the notebook and set it aside "I'm surprised you're awake."

"I don't normally sleep much." Hiei explained, sitting a little away from her as he faced the fire. It allowed shadows to dance over his face. "I hadn't expected you to be out here."

"Where did you think I would be?"

"With your new _friend_."

His distaste for Katsuo rang clear in his tone. It made her wonder. He'd been a grump about the other man since their first encounter. If she didn't know better she'd think Hiei disliked the man for no other reason than Katsuo's interest in her. But that didn't seem very Hiei of him, even if she wished it was.

"Friend might be a stretch." Shinpi turned to examine the fire as well. "Katsuo is handsome, sure, but he'd not very interesting. And he definitely lacks the draw I'd seek if I were going to bother with a relationship."

"I didn't ask." Hiei told her coldly.

"And yet, I offered." She shrugged, not bothering to look over at him. "Thank gods for men like you, Hiei. Otherwise I might've already grown bored of this existence."

"How many men like me do you know?" His voice was impossibly close to her ear and she turned her face to see that he'd gotten within inches of her. She'd let her guard down as it was becoming increasingly easy to do in the fire demon's presence.

"I suppose, at the moment, it's just you. That's more than enough." Shinpi studied his fierce expression, the dangerous light in his eyes and the hard set of his mouth.

"You're still ill. You should be asleep." He changed the subject. "You're pale, and you're sweating again."

"I'm in front of a fire and beside an attractive man, a little sweat is normal."

"Don't try to lie to me." Hiei warned her. "You've got a fever. I thought that healer was supposed to be helping you. Why are you still sick?"

"These things take time." She assured him with the lightest pat on the knee.

Hiei glanced down at her hand and then up to her face. "You've been awfully physical with everyone lately."

"Perhaps I'm growing more comfortable with you all." She suggested and she meant it. After her realization earlier that night she had few doubts on the matter. "Besides, you're one to talk. You chose to sleep next to me the other night and I know for a fact I had nothing to do with that."

Hiei snarled at her, jerking his face away. "You were going into one of your fits. I didn't want you attacking anyone or giving away our position with one those blood curdling screams you release."

"Ah, so an act of benevolence. Thank you." She teased and Hiei hated her for it a little bit. "Feel free to sleep next to me anytime, Hiei. You're warm and your scent is comforting so I doubt I'll complain too much."

He stared at her, scrutinizing her expression.

"I have a hard time believing you find any part of me comforting." He stated seriously. "No one has ever commented on my scent before."

"I imagine to most others your general presence is a sign of bad luck on their part." She agreed.

"And you don't feel the same?"

"I don't believe in luck. I believe in chance, in odds and variables." Shinpi shrugged, eyes still intent on the flames dancing before them, warming her face and legs and arms. "When you're in these moods, you're a pillar Hiei, and I'm thankful."

"I'm the same as always." Hiei argued, turning his gaze toward the fire as well, scooting a little closer to her. "You make strange distinctions from nothing."

She still didn't even glance at him and he found it mildly annoying. Normally Shinpi held uncomfortable amounts of eye contact during conversation. He leaned closer to her.

"And in your opinion, where do the odds land when it comes to my general presence?" He lowered his voice and Shinpi finally turned to look at him. It meant their faces were only separated by a few inches, he was so close to her.

"The odds are in my favor whenever you're close by." Shinpi licked her lips and scanned his expression. "Hiei?"

"Hmm?" He tipped his head to the side, a small smirk of satisfaction clear on his face as he angled himself toward her, adjusting the way he was seated to do so. Her hand came up and very lightly she ran her fingers over his cheek.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you trying to steal my journal?" She let her expression fall flat, her hand moving to pluck the notebook from his fingers as he slowly drug it across the ground behind her. "Decent effort, but you have a tell."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow and cast the book a sidelong glance. He'd get his hands on it sooner or later. She couldn't guard it all the time and now he knew whatever was in it was worth knowing. "And what is that?"

Shinpi leaned so close to him her hand overlapped his. It made him rear back as her other hand came to rest on side of his neck, her lips brushing the shell of his ear and sending a shock through his entire being he was barely able to hide.

"You only get close to me when you want something." She whispered the statement and then retracted completely, forcing space between them that he wished didn't exist.

"That's not true." Hiei defended himself and he wasn't sure why he felt the need to do so.

"It's normally information you're after." She told him easily, as though she were speaking facts and not utter nonsense. "Sometimes it's my compliance with your whims. But it's always something."

The fire in front of them flickered a little brighter. "As if you haven't been doing the same."

Shinpi glanced at Hiei's face, noting the hard set of mouth as his jaw clenched to the point a muscle stood out. His brilliant garnet eyes, full of their own very real fire, that narrowed on her in blatant accusation. And something else. Now that was interesting, she'd struck a nerve without meaning to.

"I touch you because I like to. Sometimes it has added benefits, but I'm not the one who demands space between us. You are. Physical contact is a way of comfort and communication for me. I try to avoid it with you because I know how uncomfortable it makes you." Shinpi shrugged again, watching as her words only seemed to dig her deeper into Hiei's ire. "How have I possibly managed to piss you off so much by telling the truth?"

Hiei tensed and she knew she'd hit another chord in him. One he didn't want her touching.

"I hate that you think you understand the way my mind works." Hiei told her and the words came out hot. "Your assumptions-"

"They aren't assumptions. I've already told you, I hear what you don't say." Shinpi cut him off and her own tone turned hushed and dangerous.

"Oh, so you're a psychic now?"

"I use the information you give me to decipher the enigma of your behavior." She curled her fingers into her palm on the ground, knuckles pressing into the dirt much the same way Hiei's were. "We've discussed this."

"Have you ever considered just asking me fucking questions?" Hiei growled at her. "Instead of all this underhanded nonsense you're so partial to?"

"And if I did, would you even answer them?" Shinpi accused. "What is wrong with you? You've been acting strange this morning. What did I do to you last night that could have possibly caused you to become so angry with me?"

"Don't flatter yourself. You have little to no effect at all on how I act." If that wasn't one of the most daring lies that Hiei had ever uttered. It was one he wanted to believe himself, but it was becoming more difficult by the day.

"If you don't tell me I can't stop doing it." Her voice broke a little, the mask of anger cracking just enough for him to see her confusion underneath, a little pain.

"You didn't do anything." Hiei meant for it to comforting, to stop that awful expression from forming on her face. But it had the opposite effect. Shinpi pulled back further from him, her eyes moving away as if he'd slapped her. Her lips parted.

"I see." Shinpi pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them and he _felt_ her withdraw.

Discomfort chewed at his stomach burrowing its way down from his chest and her behavior reminded him too much of their argument in the alley. It bothered him to discover just how desperately he hated the idea of Shinpi hiding from him. He went to reach for her shoulder and she shirked away so he dropped his hand. Knowing he was going to regret it, knowing the woman would probably hold it against him until one of them died, he invaded her thoughts without the preamble of their code word.

He _had_ to know what she was thinking. He wanted to put a name to that cursed expression on her face.

Hiei grimaced, unfortunately correct. He did regret doing this. Shinpi was running through a catalogue of her behaviors, examining each one to try and figure out exactly where she'd gone wrong in the past few days. Despite him telling her she'd done nothing. Because the idea that he hated her over _nothing_ cut through her like a knife and it made her feel cold. There had to be _something_. Some explanation. She just had to find it and address it, maybe not out loud, but somehow and things would reset.

She didn't want to part ways with Hiei like this. He'd surely never come back. The thought made her sink in on herself. She'd never get to fight with him again, or tease him, or engage in a witty back and forth. Those thoughts _hurt_ her. She didn't want it to be this way. What had she done? What could she do? Did Hiei just truly dislike her so much? He'd argued against it before, hadn't he?

And no glaringly correct answer came to mind. Nothing that could have caused him to become so angry with her. Maybe she'd taken too many liberties last night, falling asleep against him. And the thought that touching her disgusted him so much it could affect him for days afterward only turned her more cold.

She'd rather have died of hypothermia. At least then she wouldn't have to face the reality that when this mission was over there was every likelihood she'd never see Hiei again. Once Koenma told them all that she was free…

"What the hell do you mean free?" Hiei couldn't suppress the outburst and it made the woman whirl to face him, her eyes wide and her mouth fallen open in true disbelief.

"Were you reading my mind just now?" She whispered the question, as if she couldn't actually believe it to be true. Hiei sat struck, berating himself for being a moron internally, avoiding her gaze. "Get a good look, Hiei? Satisfied?"

"Answer my question. What do you mean free?" Hiei didn't turn to look at her, he was too busy trying to battle back the barrage of dangerous emotions clamoring for his attention. "What deal have you made with Koenma?"

"Fuck you." Her words came out ragged and when Hiei dared to look over at her he noticed the firelight bouncing off of the wet trails on her cheeks. "Why don't you just invade my privacy again? Take what you want? It didn't bother you a few seconds ago."

"I didn't do it to take anything. I wanted to know what you were thinking." Hiei defended himself, bristling.

Shinpi's breath came quick and uneven, her anger quickly coming to a point. "I hope you're happy."

"I'm not." He assured her. "Answer my goddamn question."

"I don't owe you any explanations." She seethed.

"Why do you think I'm going to cut ties with you? Where are you going? Where do you think _I'm_ going?" Hiei shifted, crawling toward her and Shinpi remained fixed in place, baring her teeth.

In her furs, with that fierce expression and the firelight dancing over her eyes, Hiei couldn't help the pang of heat that coursed through him. Goddamn, this woman was a ruinous one. She had no idea either. He could tell. She was pissed off and ready to kill him and she had no idea just how _tempting_ she looked.

" _Tell me_." Hiei demanded, stopping as his hands came to rest by her knees. Shinpi leaned back and on her hands to keep space between their bodies but had otherwise remained in place.

"What do you care?" Shinpi snarled at him, looking quite menacing. "Won't you be happy to be rid of me?"

"I don't intend on being rid of you, so whatever stupid plan you're trying to put into motion, _stop it_." Hiei sneered.

"It's already done." She smirked at him and it was a twisted expression full of anger and resentment and pain. Hiei wanted to wipe it off her face. "Once we find the culprit and make our report to Koenma, he's going to announce that I don't need any more babysitters. I'll be free from _you._ "

"Oh, is that all?" Hiei smirked too, daring and sadistic as he tilted his head. "If you think something as small as bureaucracy will keep me away from you, you're sorely mistaken. I'm not that easily dissuaded."

"You need to back off me before I hurt you." Shinpi warned him as he crept a hair closer, hovering over her. "While I might normally enjoy playing these games with you, I'm not in the mood and it's your own doing."

Every instinct and muscle and nerve in Hiei's body knew he needed to back off of her. He knew he was pushing her too far and that she meant her words. This woman was ready to tear his throat out and she would follow through with her threat. He'd triggered a rage in her and she wasn't afraid to unleash it on him. The warning bells sounded again, that imminent feeling of danger creeping up his spine.

And yet, he found himself saying, "I'd like to see you try."

The heel of her hand bit into his ribs with enough force to snap two of the bones. Hiei went flying back and landed on the ground gasping for air. Shinpi was on him in a second, so quick he barely had time to raise his arms in a cross block to keep her fist from slamming into his face. Any of her usual grace was lost in her harsh movements, and in the back of his mind he was smug for that fact.

Who else could produce such a visceral reaction from this woman but him?

Let the other fighters have her carefully thought out strategies and graceful annihilation. He was more than happy to turn her into a howling, mad-eyed animal.

Hiei captured one of her wrists and listed her to the side but in trying to get the upper position, he only managed to give Shinpi an opening. She shoved her feet under his hips and kicked him off her. They separated and ran at each other. Fists, elbows, knees, legs all slamming into one another without mercy or hesitation. Blood running down both their noses and from their split lips they came to a pause again, a few feet between them.

Shinpi hadn't activated her energy and Hiei knew she was struggling to keep it that way. The urge to crush him must have been a nightmare to fight against. But she had to protect her identity and those instincts were stronger than the ones fueling her rage. She took a step toward him, teeth bared in a snarl, as Hiei took a step as well.

And then Shinpi stopped eyes and mouth opening in surprise as Katsuo came to a sliding stop between them, his own snarl directed at Hiei and Hiei alone.

"Move." Hiei demanded, stalking toward the wolf demon. "You have no place in this fight."

"What pleasure could you possibly get from beating on this woman?" Katsuo demanded, refusing to budge.

"More than you could possible know." Hiei spit the words, chest heaving. "Move. I won't tell you again."

"I won't let you lay another hand on her." The alpha slid his feet apart, his hand cocking back and covered in youki.

Hiei smirked, eying the display. This was his chance to be rid of this fool. And the idiot was giving it to him freely. Katsuo went to release his punch and found it trapped in a hand smaller than his. Shinpi stood between the two males, eyes cold and hair catching on the wind their warring auras created. The energy surrounding Katsuo's fist died immediately in the crush of her grip.

"I don't need you defending me." She snarled at the man.

"That man has every capability of killing you. I won't stand for it." The alpha snarled back at her.

"Hiei's capabilities mean nothing when he lacks the conviction to use them." Shinpi released Katsuo's fist. "You've fought me, you know I can handle myself. What would cause you to intervene so foolishly?"

"That creature is far stronger than I am." Katsuo sneered the words, glaring at Hiei over Shinpi's shoulder. "Beating me doesn't prove you can handle him."

"So you admit you stand no chance against me." Hiei gloated from behind the woman, who shot him a warning look. "You are a fool then. You would have only become fodder."

"If it kept you from harming Mikamoto, then it would have been a worthy sacrifice." Katsuo growled at the fire demon.

"She doesn't need your help." Hiei growled back.

Shinpi had turned to watch Hiei talk, her eyes roving him freely. Whatever she saw made that gaze turn dark, even the firelight unable to touch the shadows forming in her expression. Hiei narrowed his eyes in return. Then with a raised eyebrow, she turned away from him and picked up the hand she'd captured mere moments before. Her green energy came out, pouring into the appendage and Katsuo watched with raptured fascination.

"Sometimes I forget myself, I'm sorry for hurting you." Shinpi allowed her temper to cool, her voice softening. "You didn't even flinch when I broke your hand."

"You were angry, operating on instinct. Mistakes happen." Katsuo told her, lids falling partially closed.

The unholy rage that burned in Hiei when Shinpi lifted the alpha's hand to her lips could have turned even a diamond to ash. She made sure he could see the smile she offered the other man, the way she gently toyed with his hand before sliding her fingers between his.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. I think I'd feel more comfortable sleeping next to you tonight." Shinpi spoke so softly.

Hiei tasted blood, he bit down on his tongue so hard to keep his thoughts from flying loose. When Katsuo tugged the woman to his side, Hiei about launched himself at him.

Sharp, bitter and barely contained Hiei growled through Shinpi's mind, " _He wants something from you too."_

And his rage only doubled when she responded, coldly.

" _And he very well may receive it."_

* * *

"So, uh, want to talk about it?" Yusuke eyed Hiei.

"No."

The fire demon continued to sit at the table, hands clasped together as if he were unsure what they'd do if he untwined his fingers. He remained perfectly still as he bore a hole in the bench across from him, his glare so scathing even Kurama hadn't crossed into its path. The fox demon frowned.

"Would you at least tell us where Hichi is?" Kurama sighed, entirely put out.

Hiei shifted his attention to the redhead and merely stared. Then he went back to glaring at the bench.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Kuwabara glanced at Hiei warily.

"That implies I slept." Hiei warned the carrot top.

"Alright, I'm going to go ask anyone if they've seen her." Yusuke got up from his seat and headed for the door. He pulled it open and on the other side stood Shinpi, who had blood doused across the front of her garments and staining her hands. A few drops clung to her cheeks.

"Fuck dude." The detective jumped near out of his skin. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Oh, none of its mine." Shinpi waved a hand through the air. "I was hunting."

"With _Katsuo_?" Hiei's drawl rose the temperature in the room a few degrees as his eyes cut to her.

The three other occupants of the room stared at him then shifted their attention back to Shinpi, who eyed the fire demon with obvious distaste.

"Indeed, with Katsuo. He's actually fairly charming, in his own way. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company last night." Her words struck an obvious chord because Hiei bared his teeth in disgust. She turned to the others. "Breakfast is ready. Certified fresh by yours truly."

"Do you mind explaining?" Kurama glanced from to Hiei then back.

"This is between Hiei and myself and that's where it will stay." Shinpi refused him. "Speaking of which, may I have a moment alone with you, Hiei?"

He thought about telling her to fuck off. It was obvious in the set of his mouth. But he glanced at the too-interested faces of his allies and nodded once. Shinpi nodded in return, looking far calmer than she had the night before. She had no issue crossing into the path of his glare or sitting directly across from him at the table, her chin raised and shoulder's pulled down, her perfect stature the exact opposite of Hiei's hunched shoulders.

The others watched her settle into her seat and the silence that followed before finally trickling out of the hut. Another few minutes passed when Shinpi scowled at the door, but it was Hiei's voice that broke through the silence.

"We know you're all still there." He announced, and a faint swear seeped through the walls before the three others finally went away. He settled his attention on Shinpi and said nothing.

"You had no right to enter my thoughts." Shinpi realized he wasn't going to speak and so she charged into this fight head on.

Hiei stared at her, unreactive.

"What did you see?" She asked him, and he realized she was being very careful.

Too careful.

"Apparently not what you're hiding." Hiei drawled. "I should know to expect secrets from you by now, I suppose."

"I'm entitled to my privacy." She warned him.

He merely raised an eyebrow. She still hadn't shifted her stance. But he noted she was chewing her lip between carefully constructed sentences.

"Stop that." He told her. "Nervous habits don't become you."

That caught her interest, but she let it pass without dwelling on it. "You didn't answer me."

"Didn't I?" Hiei threw the words at her with more bitterness than when she'd uttered something similar to him during their fight at Genkai's.

"Hiei, I don't want to do this. I don't want to sit here and fight with you all day." Shinpi's shoulders sagged and she looked away from him, leaning back against the bench. "But if this is the way you want it, then fine. Hate me. Invade me. I don't care anymore."

Except she did and it was obvious. She cared far too much and Hiei hated her a little bit for that reaction, because it broke one loose from him. He'd been doing so well schooling himself into cultivated anger. All night he'd spent dwelling on his fury. He wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible.

Goddammit.

"I like fighting with you." Hiei told her, less harshly than any of his previous statements. "I don't intend to stop anytime soon, even if you are _free_ of me."

Shinpi blinked at him, brow furrowed.

"I didn't realize I was still someone you needed to escape from." Hiei glared at her coldly. "I find it strange that you were so afflicted by the thought of my absence when in the end it's the thing you are vying for."

"Hiei." She breathed his name like a sigh and leaned forward over the table slightly. "This isn't about escape."

"What is it then? What is so terrible about me watching over you that you've consulted Koenma behind my back to put an end to it?" Hiei snapped at her.

Shinpi visibly started at his frustration and his words. Her eyes did a quick scan over his face and she _melted_. Just softened immediately and Hiei felt himself building walls against whatever idiotic assumption she'd come to.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Hiei." She reached for his hand and he jerked it away, his expression disgusted and horrified as if she'd just done something foul before him.

"You did not hurt my _feelings_." Hiei snarled at her.

"Well, you certainly hurt mine." She retracted her hand and Hiei looked at her as if she were about to attack him. "But that's not the point and you don't particularly care, so I'll spare you the details. What is important is that what I want isn't your absence, Hiei, it's just space."

"You assume I'm going to leave and you're still going to go through with this." Hiei accused. "Some part of you wants more than space, it wants me _gone_."

"Not true." She shook her head. "I don't want to be babysat any longer. I want to be able to choose when I go to Genkai's and when I train and when I have company. I don't want to lose you or the others. I just… is it too much to ask that I be allowed to be my own person again?"

It wasn't. If their positions were reversed Hiei would have had much less patience for the situation that Shinpi had shown. He'd have grown resentful early on that his life was dictated by others.

"Are you going to go back to daydreaming about suicide?" Hiei asked her in a guarded voice. "Just because I won't be tethered to you doesn't mean you get to go and die."

"It's not currently on my list of things to accomplish." Shinpi swallowed.

"We're still to train together. This doesn't put an end to our rivalry. If anything, it should intensify it. If I find out you're slacking off when I'm not around-"

"Of course." She cut him off gently. Hiei deflated some, that particular vein of anger cooled. Shinpi inhaled to steady herself. "I'm relieved, honestly. I thought you'd bite at the chance to be rid of me."

"That's because you're an idiot." Hiei told her firmly.

And she laughed, nodding. "Did you tell the others?"

"No. But you should." Hiei wrinkled his nose. "You should know that at this point, it's not Spirit World that makes you a part of the group. Your companionship has value to them."

"Thank you." She smiled and it made his guts twist up. Annoyed, he huffed and glared to the side.

"Are you intending to stay here with your new lover?" He asked and this new stream of anger was fresh and unfettered. The memory of Shinpi kissing Katsuo's hand the night before and then walking off with him set his blood on fire.

"Lover?" Shinpi made a face and that earned Hiei's attention. "I was _protecting_ Katsuo last night, Hiei. I thought you had picked up on that when I glared behind you."

Behind him? "You mean that bitchy look you tossed me before telling me you were going to go sleep with the fool?"

"I said no such thing." Shinpi rolled her eyes. "I believe my words were that he might receive what he wanted from me."

"He wants your body." Hiei snapped. "Don't play dumb about this. You told him that you would sleep next to him."

"I'm not dumb." She snapped back at him. "I was angry with you."

"You were going to allow that _moron_ to touch you because you were _angry_ with me?" Hiei seethed. "Seems foolish on your part. I don't care who you take to your bed. I was only angry that he interrupted our fight."

"Ah, my mistake. For a moment you looked murderously jealous." Shinpi's accusation bristled the fire demon before her. "I'm glad to learn that isn't the case. You'll always be my number one rival, Hiei, but it would be inconvenient if you started to get in the way of my other relationships. A woman needs more than training to keep her warm at night sometimes."

"What relationship, you barely know him." Hiei scoffed.

And the stare she delivered on him told him he needed to keep his mouth shut or she was going to test this new theory of hers about his jealousy. In fact, he was fairly certain he could expect to see the woman doing a lot of _tolerating_ of the alpha. He hated the idea of it.

"What did you see behind me?" Hiei changed topics and watched as Shinpi raised an eyebrow perfectly aware of what he was trying to do.

"Someone." She pursed her lips. "I wasn't able to see their face, merely their eyes, but they were definitely watching us. And when I announced I was going with Katsuo, they _narrowed_. I think someone may be after him."

"Not our problem." Hiei shrugged. Honestly, is someone managed to murder the man it would be one _less_ issue for him to deal with. Refusing to stop a murder was a slight bit better than committing one, wasn't it?

"If someone is after Katsuo, it's almost certainly because of his position. If he were killed a new alpha would be able to rise. Even if he was killed by spirit detectives for allowing humans to be murdered in his territory." Shinpi explained to him.

"You're suggesting Katsuo is being set up?" Hiei piqued at this development. "So, not only do we need to look for a killer, but also a saboteur."

"A smart one at that." She nodded. "But not smarter than me."

He smirked and it was the first semi-friendly expression he'd offered her.

"I didn't sleep with him, by the way. I know you don't care, but I want the air cleared. I didn't sleep at all, actually. Katsuo's presence wasn't conducive to such things."

"I thought you found him _comfortable_."

"More comfortable than you in a rage." She shrugged. "Can you blame me? At that point you looked ready to commit a murder and I wasn't about to let it be mine."

"Bullshit, woman." Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"Fair enough." Shinpi rose from the table and the look she set on him was nothing short of predatory, especially coupled with the blood still marring her clothes and face. "Maybe I didn't trust myself to be around you when the firelight caught your eyes so beautifully. So, I suppose, my discomfort was with my lack of control, not yours. I may not affect your behavior but I can't deny you effect mine."

Hiei licked his lips and followed her to the doors. He reached for her wrist, fingers just barely skimming over the skin when the door flew open. He wasn't sure what he'd been about to do once he grabbed her, but he was actually thankful he hadn't been given the chance. When the door opened he drew his hand back so he could shove it into his pocket while he stared at Yusuke.

"It's Kuwabara." The detective said and Shinpi was gone like a bat out of hell before he could say anything more.

* * *

Kurama stood with his rose whip out, Katsuo wounded behind him. The alpha had the tusk from the boar they'd been preparing for breakfast stuck in his side when Shinpi came to a sudden halt next to the fox. Her upper lip pulled back in a snarl as she saw Fuyuko kneeling over Kuwabara's prone form. The carrot top was ashen, eyes dull and his breathing labored. His energy felt weak.

"He collapsed. Then the healer ordered them to attack Katsuo." Kurama shifted and looked around at the wolves that surrounded them. "He's controlling them somehow."

"He's a psychic." Hiei announced, joining them with Yusuke, Jagan open. "Mind control."

"A true alpha has unquestionable sway over his pack." Fuyuko rose to his feet as he explained. Several wolf demons aimed arrows at the team, others waiting with claws out. "Kastuo has no right to claim himself as leader. That role should be mine."

Shinpi took that moment to glance back Hiei with a smirk. "Told you."

"Congratulations." Hiei responded dully. "You still didn't suspect him."

"Actually, she did. She had me watch him from a distance." Kurama explained. "He tried to poison her with that tea he made. I'm assuming for someone else it would have been quite effective."

"As demonstrated on your friend here." Fuyuko gestured to Kuwabara. "Which leads me to you, Mikamoto."

Shinpi tensed as he addressed her, crouching just slightly as if preparing to be attacked.

"You're not really a human at all, are you?" Fuyuko surmised coldly, taking in her behavior.

Shinpi adjusted her stance, it was a small movement but one that clued Hiei into her intentions. He went to say her name and found a hand clamped over his mouth and chin, blue eyes narrowed on him from the side, dark and glittering dangerous promises. She barely breathed their code word.

" _Names have power, Hiei, you should wield them carefully."_ Was all she thought before releasing his face. Her expression remained fierce. To the others it must have seemed absurd, him allowing the woman to grab him. So he growled at her, jerking away from her hand.

"Don't do that again." He warned her, and part of him meant it.

"I knew you'd pick up on it." Shinpi turned her attention toward the wolf demon. "That tea you made was still quite potent. It put me off my feet, but luckily I have a friend far more gifted in herbalism who was able to taper the side effects."

Dark brown eyes flickered to Kurama then back to the woman.

Yusuke glanced at her too, realizing her complacent behavior the day before had been induced. Her whispered conversations with Kurama made more sense suddenly, as well as her aversion to the meals provided by the wolves. She'd needed time to recuperate her strength after Kurama's help.

It clicked for Hiei then as well, that perhaps this was why she'd been so tolerant of the alpha's advances. Not just to keep up appearances but because she hadn't had the energy to manhandle him _and_ continue her investigation. Had she suspected this vein of reasoning all along? Is that way she'd been posting herself at Katsuo's side?

"I'd like to extend the choice of forfeiting to you." Shinpi offered, tension roiling through her muscles even as she spoke. "Give yourself up quietly. You're only going to bring disaster on your pack otherwise."

"If I manage to end all of you, the only thing I'll bring my pack is great fortune." Fuyuko snarled at her.

Shinpi didn't seem amused or impressed by his declaration and her eyes strayed from him to Kazuma, who lay on the ground behind him. Her concern wasn't hidden. Neither was her anger.

"Out of all of them, you said he was the one you wanted to protect the most. Instinct, you called it." Fuyuko pointed out. "You defend him like a mother would its pup."

Hiei glanced at Shinpi, confusion clear in his eyes at the utterance of that statement. There was no way Shinpi had forged some sort of maternal affection for that bumbling idiot, was there? Her face betrayed nothing. The statement could be true or not and she wouldn't confirm either way.

"Kazuma is dear to me." Shinpi allowed. "But if he's weak enough to die here there's nothing I can do about it."

Yusuke shot her a withering look that she pointedly ignored. Kurama and Hiei remained impassive at her words.

But Shinpi had glanced at the carrot top again and saw his eyes open, watching her. It was a slight squeeze of her lids that carried her message to him. Her words held no weight. They were a ruse to get him to his feet. And Kuwabara, from behind the wolf demon, offered the scantest nod in response.

"Shall we dance, then?" She asked the healer and he offered her a heartless smile in return. The wolf demon's around them closed in.

From the beginning Yusuke's optimistic belief in his teammates had glued them all together. They defended each other, they fought together, they fought _for_ each other. Even through the jabs and biting remarks and the years of silence and distance and life changes, they all would clearly die for each other on any given day of the week. It was a kinship born of mutual understand. A brotherly protectiveness that coiled around the four of them, binding them together.

There was something _different_ about the way Shinpi acted to protect them. It hung in the air around her, around them. It felt familiar, the sort of action that comes from earned affection, but also, and still, _different_.

"You're mistaken." Shinpi spoke clearly, coldly and without hesitation. "In both your position in this fight and over your meager self-appointed title. I was clear when we arrived that I would tolerate these men coming to harm. You've brought this on yourself."

Her words shivered through the gathering of animal youkai, many of whom shifted and darted glances at one another then at their newfound leader. Their alpha, as he called himself, who looked about ready to piss himself at the sheer authority in her voice. It was the same that she'd used on Matsuma all those weeks ago. Hiei recognized it for what it was immediately.

The voice of an unwavering leader.

"And if we harm you?" Fuyuko uttered the words. "Will they defend you as vehemently?"

"They know better than to assume that I'm the one who ever needs protecting."

Shinpi bowed her head, and from under her bangs her eyes shone like blue embers. The wind circled her feet as they slid out into a wider stance, her hand poised above the wrapped hilt of her wooden sword. A quirk of her lips was all the warning she offered before her pooling her energy into the instrument and her insistence on bringing along suddenly made more sense to Hiei. When the wave of wolf demons attacked, she greeted them with an unrelenting wall of destruction. The sword bit through skin and clothes as sharply as any metal blade, fortified as it was.

And just like their fight what felt like ages before, Hiei noted she was intentionally avoiding permanent damage. Superficial wounds, minor cuts, but she deftly changed the angle of her blade to keep from claiming limbs. Her body spun when the choice to stab through the stomach was obvious. A melee attack came instead, her knee digging into the soft flesh. The wind took a few off their feet, pushed some others back. None the less, her benevolence didn't save them from a staggering loss. Within minutes Shinpi was the only one on her feet in the circle of demons, the rest bleeding and groaning, battered but alive on the ground as the haze wore off for them.

It was a sight to behold. Hiei memorized it as such, again noting that Shinpi's actions carried a certain dancer's grace. It was a terrifying notion, that her brand of violence could be delivered with such _beauty_ inherent in the movements. Terrifying and endlessly appealing. His chest warmed and that damned shuddering came back in the wake of his admiration. He could watch her all day, given the opportunity.

Just not today, as the fates would have it, because Kuwabara had gotten to his feet unusually quiet. Even as shaky as his legs seemed to be, as dangerous as his pallor had grown, he radiated confidence in his next actions. He grabbed one of Fuyuko's wrists and jerked it behind the demon's back before hooking his foot around the other man's ankle to throw him off balance. When they hit the ground, Kuwabara dug a knee into the wolf demon's spine, gripping both wrists with one hand as he wound something around them.

"Thanks for lending this to me." Kuwabara tied off the Infinity Chain and looked up at Shinpi, panting. "And for showing me how to use it."

"Maybe I'll be able to get you your own someday." She smiled at him as Kurama ran over, already on the move to concoct an antidote for the poison in the carrot top's system. "You saved the day, Kazuma."

"You helped. A little." He grinned at her. "I feel like I'm gonna hurl."

Her arms cradled Kuwabara's head to her chest delicately, brushing away the dirt from his cheek before being assured that he was _fine._ Green light poured into him to ease what she could of his symptoms. When Kurama took over she rose to her feet with purpose.

"Being protected is never my priority." Shinpi offered in response to some question the fox was bound to ask. "I don't doubt you have my back, I merely don't see the need to test the sentiment. Pack protects pack, it's simply understood. It goes without saying and I'm aware of that."

"So, we are a pack to you?" Yusuke kept his hands in his pockets, eying the woman with cautious optimism.

"Are we not to you?" Shinpi responded easily, knowing he wouldn't fight her. "I am a protective person by nature. I don't like when people touch things that are _mine_."

Hiei had stooped to begrudgingly help the alpha, yanking the boar's tusk from his side and slapping a few layers of gauze over the wound. The man's brown eyes were alight as he stared at the woman.

"I think I'm in love." Katsuo grinned at Hiei looking very much so like a lovesick fool and the fire demon just rolled his eyes, wishing the wound had been more severe than it was.

* * *

"So, you two are okay?" Yusuke asked Hiei, who shrugged.

"As good as we can be as rivals." The fire demon responded coolly.

"Psh. Rivals. Yeah. More like rivals with benefits." The detective snorted, crossing his arms. "Can't fool me buddy."

"The rivalry is the benefit, detective." Hiei smirked, but his attention had wavered when Shinpi came out of the mountain hideaway.

Katsuo followed at Shinpi's heels like a trained dog, stars practically in his eyes.

"Are you sure you won't stay? We could use a matriarch. These boys need someone to keep them in line and now we could also those talented, healing hands of yours." Katsuo told her again, the bandages on his side freshly changed. Shinpi pulled a face and then smoothed out her expression.

She'd offered to heal him and he'd asked her not to. He wanted the scar to remember her by, even though she hadn't been the one to give it to him.

"I have my hands full enough." She nodded toward the group of men she'd arrived with.

"I'd like it if you stayed. With me." He touched the back of her arm lightly, but it stopped her still.

"I don't know you nearly well enough to care about what you'd like or wouldn't." Shinpi told him coolly and it seemed to make him swoon all the more. "Besides, you're barking up the wrong tree. I'm a committed woman."

He glanced in the gang's direction, then back to her. "Not the fire demon."

She just offered him a shrug and looked over too.

"Hiei doesn't seem like much when you first meet him. Callous, rude, thick-skulled. But he's grown on me. We're currently quite serious as rivals." She assured him. "Just yesterday he assured me I couldn't get rid of him."

Hiei glanced their way, eyes roving over the pair before his lips quirked upwards. Shinpi offered him a similar expression in return.

"I've found a new lust for life in the process of finding ways to best him." Shinpi admitted and there was no mistaking the smug smirk Hiei offered. "Which reminds me," she threaded her arm through Katsuo's, "how would you rate my performance on this mission?"

"All of your performances are amazing." He started to gush. "Sensual. Radiant."

"And, of all the members of the team, who picked out the culprit?" She pressed on.

"You're asking leading questions." Hiei muttered under his breath, glancing at her. She flashed a smile toward him as her and Katsuo came to a stop fairly close to the group.

"You did." The alpha responded.

"And, who beat your boys into submission and convinced them not to misbehave or bother their human neighbors?"

"I get it." Hiei growled.

"You did." Katsuo still answered her.

"Just making sure." She patted the man's arm and withdrew from him. "I like to know I'm doing a good job."

"Are you done playing with your food?" Hiei demanded, arms crossed over his chest. "If the detective has to spend one more day without electricity he'll go mad. Or maybe we should leave you here and you can become a _matriarch_."

"Don't be jealous, Hiei, I've already told Katsuo that I'm all yours." She left the side of the other man to toe up to the fire demon. "After all, I'm not done proving how much better I am at everything yet."

Kuwabara nudged Kurama and nodded toward the scene. Yusuke peeked between them to watch too.

"You won gloating rights, not a championship, simmer down." Hiei told her, unimpressed. "And it's hardly a feat that you wrangled in a pack of mongrels. It's only natural that they listened to you."

"Doesn't matter. The deal was that whoever sequestered the most bad guys won. And I did that." She lifted her chin and crossed her arms. "Just admit I won."

"Before getting lucky with your finger pointing-"

"It was an informed deduction."

"-you also managed to get yourself critically wounded, incredibly sick, and Kuwabara nearly killed."

"None of which changes the fact that I won. And that I want to hear you say it." She crept toward him, a single finger poking into his chest. "You may like to pocket your proceeds, Hiei, but I'm feeling the urge for instant gratification."

Hiei looked down at her finger digging into his ribs and then up to her face with a fiery expression.

"Fine." Hiei relented with a throaty rumble. "You won."

"I hope our next case is as exciting." She stayed close to him, and Hiei nodded, casting a look behind her to Katsuo.

The alpha glanced over the pair of them and didn't seem to enjoy what he saw. That earned some satisfaction from Hiei.

"Your intelligence is definitely one of your better assets." Hiei allowed, smirking as he returned his attention to Shinpi. Then he lowered his voice. "But I'm faster than you where it counts."

"Want to test that theory?" She nearly pressed her chest to his as she grinned at him.

"First one to the base of the mountain wins." Hiei nodded and then he was gone in a blur. Shinpi took off after him, leaving the others gaping behind them.

"Tell her she's welcome back anytime. The fire demon isn't." Katsuo turned to Yusuke. "You can tell him I'm sorry for the hitting him with my energy. Looked like he took quite the fall."

"Yeah, I'll pass it along. Stay out of trouble. I don't want to have to come back here." Yusuke grinned at the other man who nodded once then turned to return to his pack. "Alright Kurama, are you ready for a new bet?"

"Surely you don't think we're going to catch them in the act." Kurama cut off the deal before it could get started.

"Nah, I say we gather up our friends and start a pool. I give those two a few weeks before they're making the beast with two backs." Yusuke started walking down the side of the mountain with his arms tucked behind his head. The other two men trailing behind him.

"Oh, I say we wait until we get a calendar. I want to pick the right day." Kuwabara announced and Kurama chuckled beside him.

"Perhaps we should consult a moon chart while we're at it." The fox offered with humor.

"So you agree then?" Yusuke tossed a cocky grin back at them. "Those two are one good moment away from ripping each other's clothes off."

"Perhaps." Kurama allowed with a smile. "But it'd be best if we didn't actively interfere."

"Yeah, yeah." Yusuke waved his hand through the air. "I don't think they need our help anyway."


	26. A Thin Line

It was so early in the morning even the sun was having trouble waking up. The sky still held most of its darkness, only the very edges gilded as light began to threaten to creep upward. Some stars even remained, though they were steadily fading.

"You still haven't told them." Hiei walked beside Shinpi as they scanned the valley between mountains at the edge of Genkai's land. "Putting it off will only make it worse."

"If it's so important to you, you tell them." Shinpi rolled her eyes away from him.

"It needs to come from you." Hiei stopped walking. "Why are you avoiding it?"

"I'm not avoiding anything." She sighed. "I'm just trying to find the right way to approach it. I don't want anyone else having _your_ reaction."

"Finding out from Koenma will guarantee a poor reaction, especially from the detective." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then use your prize to make me." Shinpi turned to face him.

"Not going to happen. Do it on your own." Hiei smirked at her then looked around. "Is this good enough?"

"It'll do." She nodded, her own grin daring. "Are you sure about this Hiei? I'd understand if you wanted to back out."

"Do I look like a coward?" Hiei demanded of her and she shook her head as she walked toward him.

"It's just, once I take it off there's no telling what might happen." She put a hand on his forearm, her chest brushing against his. "It might change things between us."

He peered into her eyes, no longer smirking. "Maybe I'm alright with things changing between us."

"Then give it to me." She breathed the words full of excitement so palpable it traveled into Hiei. He looked around again as he worked the clasp of his cloak with one hand. "You're nervous. That's sort of cute."

"If we get caught…" He let the rest of his sentence trail off, sure she understood the repercussions for this indulgence. "This is the only time we will do this. Merely to sate my curiosity on the matter."

"You say that now, but you might change your mind after." Shinpi slid her hand over his left hip and he wrapped his hand around her wrist to stop her. "I'll forgive you if you do."

"It's not your opinion I'm worried about." Hiei pointed out, frowning. "Don't forget that until Koenma makes his announcement, I'm still responsible for you. Don't make me regret this."

"I can't take this anymore, Hiei. _Give it to me_." She demanded in the most frustratingly enticing tone he'd ever heard. With one more scan to their surroundings, Hiei relented, releasing her hand. Her body pressed flush to his. "It's been so long, I almost forgot what it felt like in my hand."

Hiei schooled his expression, merely raising one eyebrow as she untied the red scabbard from his side. Then she was a few meters away from him, studying the weapon with satisfaction.

"Did you miss me?" She ran her fingers over the sheath and Hiei stepped closer as he felt a strange secondary energy vibrate through the air. "I hope Hiei has been taking good care of you. It's a shame you won't let him sharpen you, you must feel so dull."

Using her thumb to press upwards, she broke the seal that had been placed on the blade, tearing the thin paper easily. Throwing the sheath to Hiei, who caught it singlehandedly, Shinpi made a display of running her fingers down the flat sides of the sword. Hiei watched in rapt attention, waiting.

"Do it." He told her.

"Patience, darling. It'll be worth the wait." She promised and moved her hand to grip the hilt, running through a quick succession of katas.

Her movements were well-practiced, smooth, precise. Hiei's impatience grew as he tossed his cloak to the ground, the scabbard on top of the black fabric. He withdrew his own blade and Shinpi offered him a glinting smile that revealed too much teeth. Excitement thrilled through him, lighting him up like the sun slowly climbing the horizon.

"That's a pretty picture." She lifted her chin toward him and then her blade clashed against his and the resulting shock of energy forced him back a few centimeters. Shinpi didn't hesitate to put him on the defensive, her skills an even match for his, at least at this warmup pace.

"Do it. I want to see it." Hiei demanded and Shinpi grinned again, spinning and calling her wind around the blade. As the air swirled from point to hilt it caught on fire, burning bright blue and traveling over her hand halfway up her forearm. The flames matched the fire dancing in her eyes.

Her energy output nearly doubled from that simple action and Hiei growled low in the back of his throat before launching at her. She met him easily wearing that teasing grin and he smirked back at her, increasing his speed. When he threw a hand under her blade, forcing it upwards and out of the way the fire shifted and without warning Shinpi was shoving the weapon back into its scabbard all that distance away, her breathing haggard. She dropped it onto Hiei's cloak without ever breaking the stare she cast the red sheath.

"We're done?" Hiei blinked, confused. They'd only just gotten started. He knew she had more in her. He could feel it. He _wanted_ to feel it. A flare of dissatisfied frustration overtook him for a moment.

"We're done." Shinpi nodded, wiping her palms against her pants, not looking at him. "You shouldn't have touched it. I told you not to before we came out."

"You said I couldn't use it." Hiei argued.

"I said you couldn't touch it." She shot him a look. "He doesn't like when outsiders handle him. I can't always contain what happens."

"Explain." Hiei eyed her, unable to fight back his growing disappointment that they hadn't gotten more in before she'd had to put the sword away. He'd honestly been expecting to have to pry the thing from her hands.

"He was going to kill you." She pressed her lips into a line and then glared at the sword. "Stubborn old man. He really doesn't like you. What have you done to him?"

"It's a sword, Shinpi." Hiei told her with an expression that plainly stated he thought she'd lost her mind.

"The sword is of little consequence. It's a weapon, nothing more." She wrinkled her nose as she weighed her next words. "I told you, didn't I? My grandfather's spirit is bound to the blade. That's where the power comes from."

"He's sentient?" Hiei glanced at the weapon in question.

"He's something." She muttered. "Next time you'll follow the rules and we'll be able to go for longer. I'm warmed up with nothing to do. What a bother."

"You seem confident there will be a next time." Hiei smirked, sheathing his own sword as he walked close to her side. "I wasn't all that impressed with your technique. Maybe I don't want to fight you and your sword again."

"Then I'll just have to beat you and take it by force." She lowered her voice with him so close, facing him over her shoulder.

Hiei raked his eyes down her and settled his gaze back on her eyes. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Shinpi. I'd enjoy nothing more than you coming at me full force for once."

"You say such pretty things. Truly a man who knows his way around a woman's heart." She looked him over too, her gaze a little too heated for discussions of sparring. "You know, if you let me handle the sword more often I'd be able to control it better. We've fallen out of sync."

"Maybe I need to start sweet talking the relic. You've accused me of being charming, maybe those skills will sway the old man to my side." Hiei smirked.

"How very thief-like of you to consider ways in which to steal my prized possession." Shinpi ran her tongue over her bottom lip.

"Well, technically, until you beat me it's _my_ prized possession." Hiei reminded her with his own smirk. "You don't seem in any hurry to regain it."

"Again, with not listening to me. I hope this doesn't become a nasty habit of yours." She picked the sword up, reaching over to Hiei's side and tying it into place slowly. "It's safer in your hands for now. Not to mention you and I have a deal."

"Oh, is that what's holding up your progress? And here I thought you just wanted an excuse to keep me around." Hiei teased her and it brought a pleasantly surprised look to her face.

"I'm not sure I enjoy you learning to see through me." Shinpi backed a step away from him. "It makes you far more dangerous than you already are."

"And like most dangerous things, I find myself in your orbit." Hiei smirked and this expression seemed darker.

Shinpi looked him over again and then took another step back. Hiei advanced on her, reclaiming the step she'd put between them. Her mouth went dry suddenly, under his unwavering attention. He tipped his head to the side, a certain glint coming into his eye as his lips twisted upward further.

"Why is your heart beating so fast, Shinpi?" Hiei lowered his voice carefully, refusing to look away from her face. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were nervous."

"Nervous isn't quite the right word." She swallowed, her breath coming out low while she planted her feet.

Hiei looked her over appraisingly. "I'm not satisfied with the way our morning panned out. I have pent up energy that needs releasing."

"I guess I'll just to do something about that, won't I?" Shinpi spoke from behind him, and Hiei was forced to duck to avoid the kick she'd aimed at the back of his head.

They came at each other, swinging arms and legs. Hiei called his mortal flame to his hands and Shinpi threw up a cross block in front of her face, air smothering the fire before it made contact with her skin.

"Clever." Hiei declared, his kick swinging over her head as she crouched below him so he dropped the foot down. She jumped back. "But you can't use those petty trick on this."

He called the Darkness Flame into his fists and that sent her flitting away from him, forcing him to pursue. He should have known better than to chase the woman. She spun around in a semi-circle, her toe dragging over the thick green grass. It wilted and turned brown, the water pulled from the ground, roots, and blades of emerald slithering up over her leg in a creeping line. The kick she lashed at him whipped the water so hard it cut through his shirt. She twirled around and another kick kept him from advancing too close.

Shinpi flashed him a teasing grin, winking before motioning for him to come closer.

"I thought you wanted me to show you all my tricks, Hiei." She reminded him.

"I didn't think you'd be so willing to take me up on it." He bared his teeth in a grin that only flashed for a second before disappearing.

"It's more fun for me when you think you know what to expect." The water snaked up her back and then around her neck before winding around her arm. "But you'll be disappointed to find that even when you think you've pinned me down, there's often a new trick up my sleeve."

"How could I possibly be disappointed by that?" Hiei rushed her, a barrage of fire-engulfed punches that were all met with Shinpi's water covered hands.

His intent focus on trying to discern her next move, how she was planning to use that water against him was enough of a lure that he didn't see her true strategy. When she sent a right hook toward his face, breaking through his defenses, he was entirely distracted from the circle of air she'd formed around them that closed in with enough force that it took his feet from under him. When he landed on his back, momentarily stunned, Shinpi tossed him a brilliant grin.

He wasn't entirely sure if the warmth that spread through him was in reaction to that look or his own embarrassment for falling for such a stupid trick. Well, turnabout is fair play. She was so busy gloating she didn't even notice his hand until it grabbed her ankle and yanked, sending her careening to the ground right on her backside. She gaped at him, and it made him chuckle as he rose to sitting.

He recognized this emotion well enough: satisfaction.

"That was underhanded." Shinpi told him, making no move to get up.

"I'm an untrustworthy man." Hiei told her. "Being a bandit and such."

"Oh please, if you're untrustworthy I'm a kitten." She tossed him a look. "I got you good."

"It won't work twice."

"Is that a challenge?" Shinpi's eyes began to glitter with mischief.

"Maybe." Hiei leant forward, unable to hide his amusement. "If you want to take it as one, I don't think I'll be able to stop you."

"You're finally learning." She smiled again.

"I only need a lesson beaten into me so man-" The last words choked, caught in the angry growl Hiei birthed as a spear bit through his shoulder, forcing him forward. Blood trailed down the wood to the ground. Before he could pry it out, Shinpi was on her feet.

"What is this?" He demanded, breaking the wood and yanking it out of his own shoulder. He got to his feet.

Shinpi lowered her voice to a whisper, her order just for him and not the prying ears of the demons approaching them. "I'll handle this."

He ignored her, setting his venomous glare on their opponents.

"Well, well, well. This is unexpected." A voice boomed from the throng, a short, stocky demon with tusk-like teeth stared at the two them. "Here we've come to capture a sword and instead we get the head of the bastard of Alaric."

Shinpi slid her feet apart, her eyes narrowed as they darkened.

"You'll get this sword over my dead body." Hiei declared bitterly. "And even if you had it, you couldn't use it without the catalyst."

The demon slid his gaze over to Shinpi. "Lucky for us, you've brought the catalyst with you."

Hiei stiffened, taking a step to place himself in front of Shinpi. The act made something in his head swim, his vision blurring slightly. Shaking his head to clear it, he bared his teeth, trying to plant himself despite the growing weakness of his limbs.

"Hiei?" Shinpi glanced at him as he swayed.

The demon let loose a booming laugh. "I see even you aren't immune to poison, Jagan Master."

"Poison?" Hiei grimaced. "The spear."

"I'd assure you that the effects will pass, but you won't live long enough to recover." The demon laughed. And then three more spears were launched. One caught Hiei in the leg, another took Shinpi in her side even though she jumped back in an attempt to dodge it.

Her movement seemed restricted and Hiei realized as he fell to the ground that she was trying to stick close to him, but she was forced back with a snarl, her hand on her side to stifle the bleeding there. Hiei tried to get to his feet only to have another spear shoved into him, tearing a vicious loathsome growl from his chest as he snarled at his attackers. With Shinpi pushed back, they dared to approach him, as prone as he currently was. Without much care, they ripped the red sword from his side and threw the it onto the ground at Shinpi's feet. She regarded it with a cool blue gaze.

"Use it." The demon demanded.

Shinpi merely glanced at the weapon, then at the group lingering behind Hiei looking ready to fight or flee at any moment, depending on how this next moment went. Well, wasn't that smart of some of them? Too bad they'd never live to another day.

Gravel and dirt scraped his cheek as Hiei tried to move his head to keep her in sight. Shinpi was his responsibility. If he let something happen to her…The team would never let him live it down. Did these idiots have any idea who she was? If she opened that sword, she had every likelihood of winning. They stood no chance. If they'd really been watching for long enough to know she could handle the blade, they should've seen her in action.

The fools were signing their own death warrant. This would be over quickly.

"I refuse."

Hiei's eyes widened. Shinpi seemed to remain firm in her resolve, stepping over the sword toward him and his group of attackers. She couldn't possibly be this hard headed.

What was she thinking?

"I made a promise." She told them flippantly. "And I keep my word. I will not use that sword. I don't need it any way, I can handle you all just fine."

Hiei didn't get to see what she did. His vision was swimming too profoundly and his body refused to accept orders anymore so he couldn't turn his head. He did hear a lot of screaming though. And there was no doubt that it was Shinpi's energy that flared. One other voice whimpered pathetically as her shoes came into his view again, before she crouched and rolled him over. With care she placed her hands over his wounds, pouring that precious healing energy into him.

Even as bleary as his eyes were, he could see the strain in her face. There was red splattered over her cheeks and neck.

"Hiei, you've lost too much blood. You're going to lose consciousness soon." Shinpi's face hovered over his own, her hands moving to cradle his head. "I'll take care of you, but don't make it hard for me. And if you die I consider our arrangement void."

"You wish." He fought against his lead eyelids, a battle he quickly lost.

* * *

Hiei came to with a growl, swinging his way into consciousness with all the vigor of jumping into the thick of battle. It took a moment of quiet for him to realize that not only was the fight over but that he was also safely back in the temple. A few bandages covered his injuries. He was at least partially healed, even if he was still sore and raw.

With a start he launched himself onto his feet and headed for the door of Shinpi's room, throwing it open. Where was she? Peering into her room proved useless, she wasn't there and her bed was made. Voices filtered down the hall and he stalked toward the kitchen.

She was at the counter as usual, making food. When had the detective and Kurama arrived? Damn it. How long had he been out?

"Hey, look who finally decided to grace up with his presence." Yusuke elbowed Kurama with a grin. "Get enough beauty sleep dragon boy?"

Hiei ignored him and his snickering to march over to Shinpi.

"Lunch will be-" Shinpi was cut off midsentence by Hiei's hand spinning her to face him.

Buttons bounced off the counter and the floor as he ripped her shirt open, his eyes fixated on the mound of bandages and medical tape that was her side. Who had bandaged her? They'd done an awful job. He realized after a second that she had likely done it herself to cut down on anyone fussing about her.

"Uh, Hiei?" Yusuke had gotten to his feet, his chair and Kurama's skittering back in their haste.

The fire demon's grip on the material of her shirt tightened, his lip pulling back over his teeth. Shinpi kept her eyes on his face, her gaze fading quickly from startled to hard understanding.

"The last time a man tore clothes off of me this way I had a much better time." She sighed heavily, put out with the whole day. "Do you mind allowing me to cover myself? I wasn't expecting Kurama and Yusuke to get to judge my bra today."

All too suddenly Hiei seemed to realize what he'd done, jerking back as if she'd struck him. His cheeks glowed from embarrassment and anger. Offering her just enough space to allow her to close her shirt, he didn't bother averting his gaze. She'd specifically noted she hadn't wanted the other two looking at her, not him. If she had a problem she'd let him know.

"Mind telling me why you're undressing me?" She asked coolly.

"I remembered you'd gotten injured. When I woke up I thought we were still out there, and it all came back suddenly. If I was here in the temple it meant you brought me back, injured, by yourself." He left it at that his tone growing hot.

Shinpi glanced behind him to the other two, her lips pressing into a thin line. Squinting slightly, she returned her attention to him.

"It's fine." She assured him.

"It's not. You could have been killed. You should have accepted the sword."

"I agreed to follow the rules you set. You said I couldn't use the sword until I beat you. A trivial situation like that won't be enough to make me go back on my word." She responded to him, but again her eyes moved beyond him to the others. "Hiei, could we perhaps finish this privately?"

"Why?" He demanded.

"Because she had just gotten done telling us you were napping after a hard training session. We didn't know she was injured." Kurama's tone grew hard.

"You lied?" Hiei frowned, blinking at her.

"No. I didn't lie. We were training." She reminded him. "We happened to be attacked and it worked into a simulation and a way of testing my current abilities. I performed with excellence, by the way, despite my injury."

"Idiot." Hiei let his head fall back. "I've told you how many times that details like that are important, especially if you feel like you shouldn't offer them."

"I didn't want you getting in trouble." She pulled her brows down, looking away from all them. "You kept complaining that I'd gotten injured on your watch. I assumed that was because the team would punish you."

"It's because I'm supposed to be taking care of you." Hiei snapped before realizing what he'd said. After a second of silence, he added quickly. "I took responsibility for your well-being and I lapsed in that capacity. Idiot. Don't try to cover for me again."

"You're berating me for defending you." She pointed out. "Besides, you weren't in any space to be saving anyone. I thought for sure you'd die."

"I also remember that." He noted darkly. "Don't think I'll let that slide."

"Anytime and place. After piecing your useless ass back together I have no reason to be afraid of your empty threats." She shot back at him, stomping forward one step, her arms coming uncrossed to jut a finger under his nose. "If anything, you should be thanking me!"

His eyes dipped down before he could really help himself, noting the suddenly exposed flesh of her chest. If she'd been concerned before about the others seeing her undergarments or wound, it had faded in the wake of her indignation. But when she noticed his attention had wandered, even for the split second it had, she blushed scarlet and yanked the shirt closed again.

"And I thought Yusuke was the pervert!" She yelled at him, stomping around him on her way to her room. "Go to hell, Hiei!"

He followed her with his eyes, then looked over at the other two. He wondered, for just a moment, what her reaction would have been if they hadn't been there. If she hadn't had to cover for him. If there was no one else but him to see the navy lace under her shirt. He dispelled the thoughts quickly.

"So that's what I've been dealing with. Why are you two here?" Hiei asked them blandly, already at his wits end. "Talk fast. When she comes barreling back in here no one will get a word in edgewise."

Yusuke went to say something and he got nowhere as Shinpi came marching back into the kitchen, her shirt clasped closed by her fist.

"And you're welcome for making sure you didn't die by the way!" She yelled at him. "Do you have any idea what a pain it was healing you and carrying you when I was battling the same damn poison? You're lucky I didn't get exposed as much as you! And I fixed the hole in your shirt, you ungrateful bastard."

"You're such a pain in my ass." Hiei raised his voice to match hers. "You overextended yourself! It's not my fault you can't do things the easy way."

"You're infuriating!" She stomped her foot.

"You're infuriating!" Hiei stepped toward her, fists at his sides.

"Oh my god, just make out already." Yusuke threw himself back into his chair.

"Shut up." They both snarled at him, then turned back to each other. Shinpi swept a narrowed gaze over the fire demon then jerked away, stalking toward her room.

"We are not done!" Hiei warned her, immediately moving to follow. "Your little antics aren't getting you a free pass this time, Shinpi."

"Oh shove it up your ass." She threw the door to her room open. "I was never in danger."

"There were at least twelve of them." Hiei cornered her, following Shinpi into her bedroom so they could hammer out this argument.

"You say that as if it were a problem." Shinpi rolled her eyes, turning to face him after closing her door. She paced further into the space trying to keep her tone low and even. "They were weak. It was simple."

"They were enough to disable me." Hiei pointed out sharply.

"They got lucky. Your back was turned." She argued. "In a head on fight you would have utterly trounced them. It would have been a nonevent."

"I remember you getting injured." He glared at her, gesturing to her side.

"What are you actually asking me, Hiei?" Shinpi sighed, uncrossing her arms and it meant her shirt fell open.

She'd done it on purpose, Hiei had that feeling about it, so he kept his attention carefully trained on her face. With the slightest tick of her eyebrow she checked his expression. The corner of her mouth pulled down, just slightly, and she shrugged off the garment. A bold move.

"Are you in the habit of undressing in front of men?" Hiei asked her darkly.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before." She seemed incredibly sure of that as she walked to the closet to pick out a new top. "You're not the first _platonic_ companion I've had, Hiei. First rival, perhaps, but definitely not the first male tasked with keeping me out of trouble."

Hiei bit his teeth together at her words. He wasn't the first to be in this position? It irked him that she was so readily dismissing him. "Must have been a useless waste who held the post before me, considering you _died_."

"That's not nice, Hiei. I miss my little bird every day." Shinpi told him coolly.

Hiei studied the way the muscles in her back moved when she reached for a hanger. He was quickly forgetting why he was so angry and that was a problem. He couldn't allow her to have this sort of pull over him. The sight of bare flesh shouldn't have been able to send his tongue sliding over his bottom lip, and yet here they were. Was she seriously so blind she couldn't see the way he was eying her? Or did she simply not care? Was this an act of willful ignorance or just blind trust?

Why did it matter? It didn't change anything either way. She was still forbidden fruit, even if he did decide he was hungry.

"It's not like you care about a little exposed skin, anyway." Her tone had grown a bit annoyed. Then she turned and held up two shirts, one green and the other black. "Which one flatters me more?"

"The black, since you're bound to get blood on it with that wound." Hiei stared at her. "I'm not here to be your-"

"But I'm wearing dark jeans. Don't you think the black is a little monochromatic?" She frowned at him, holding the shirts out from her as she studied them. "But you are right. I do have a wound."

"Yes, and we're not done talking about-"

She placed the green shirt back in the closet and pulled the black off the hanger, sliding it easily over her head before undoing the fly of her jeans and shimmying them down her hips, thighs and legs until they hit the floor. She slung them over their own hanger as Hiei watched, enraptured and confused, while she perused her limited section of bottoms.

Hiei drug his eyes up from her bare legs, and then found his attention straying toward them again. She had nice legs, if he was being honest with himself. Sturdy. Strong. The kind that could either kill a man or promised to wrap around him in the sweetest of tortures.

Yusuke was wrong. Her panties were the same shade of indigo lace as her bra, not black or red as the detective had suggested during their last mission.

"Lace seems like a strange choice for a warrior." Hiei found the words spilling out of his mouth as the observation struck him.

"I'm done fighting for the day." She shrugged, looking over her shoulder at him. "I like to wear nice things when I'm not sweating up a storm."

Did that mean she always wore such luxurious undergarments when she wasn't training? Hiei swallowed.

"You were berating me for saving you." Shinpi waved a hand at him. "Go on, get it out of your system."

"I was." Hiei stated dully, then blinked and cleared his head. "I was, because you're an idiot. You should have used the sword and avoided risks. Even if you're you that many opponents can easily get overwhelming. Your stubborn nature-"

Shinpi finally selected a pair of lighter wash jeans and stepped into them, having to jump and wiggle just a bit to get them to slide up over her backside and hips. Hiei hadn't realized he'd stopped talking to watch.

"My stubborn nature?" She prodded, zipping up the pants before walking toward him.

"Your stubborn nature is going to get you hurt, or killed." Hiei had to work to remind himself of his point.

"We have an agreement. If I backed out of it when things were challenging, what sort of woman would I be?" She demanded of him.

"One who lives to annoy me for another day." He seethed the words. "I'm not joking around, Shinpi. The stunt you pulled today was dangerous."

"I never said you were joking. I can tell you're very serious." She assured him. "It doesn't change the fact that you're wrong."

His eyes narrowed. "Am I now?"

"You don't understand the nuances of the sword's power. It was safer not to use it until I can regain control of it." She spoke easily, but firmly. "I didn't have time to make mistakes. You were pinned down and injured. My first priority was recovering you. I accomplished my goal. That's all that matters to me."

"You're a fool." Hiei snapped at her.

"I can't argue with that." She muttered under her breath, sounding annoyed again. Then to him, she sighed. "What do you want from me, Hiei? I'm not going to apologize for knowing my own limits when you clearly do not."

Hiei bristled at her tone and went to sneer at her when she stepped closer to him, her fingers brushing the back of his right hand. She gently took it into her own, studying his fingers as she lifted it before her face. He watched her without an expression.

"I don't know why you don't trust me by now." Shinpi ran her thumb over his palm after she flipped his hand over, her tone reserved, quiet. "But, if you'll give me the chance, I'll show you why you should."

Hiei had the thought that he _would not_ be made into the villain in this. She had acted rashly and she deserved an earful for it. He wouldn't bow to her charms or relent just because she-

Was she kissing his fucking palm?

Goddammit.

The Jagan flared and Hiei was drug into the recent memory almost as if being forced by someone else's hand. Through Shinpi's eyes he looked down an all he felt was visceral, riotous anger. Her knee was planted firmly in the back of the demon under her, one hand buried in his hand forcing his face into the stagnant, murky water of the swamp. The bubbles from his mouth and nose popped on the surface but his attempts at flailing did little to help him.

Shinpi's attention flickered to Hiei, lying on the ground near her unconscious but breathing steadily. She'd done what she could for his wounds for now. He'd live. No thanks to these assholes. Her anger redoubled.

They had made a fatal error, attacking _him_. Surely, they'd assessed Hiei as the larger threat.

They'd been wrong.

Shinpi jerked the demon's head up, allowing him to gasp for air. "Who sent you?"

"No one!" The panicked answer tore a growl form her chest. "The boss heard a rumor!"

"Tell me." She left no room for argument and no doubt of what would happen if he didn't comply. At the first hint of hesitation on his part she shoved his face back toward the water.

"Something about a sword! A red sword! It's supposed to be powerful!" The demon planted his hands on the bank, terror straining his voice.

"You came prepared." Shinpi growled the accusation.

"We didn't know the general of Alaric had it! We got lucky!" He whimpered.

"Wrong thing to say." Shinpi forced his face back into the water. "That man is a dear friend of mine. If he had died I'd have been _furious_."

Shinpi stepped back from Hiei's hand, allowing it to fall back to his side as she eyed his face with cultivated neutrality. He opened his eyes slowly, savoring the sharp edges of her absolute rage. The lingering, subtle fear that he was more injured than she knew coated his tongue and it satisfied some part of him to know that he was the cause of the emotions. Despite her honed ability to control her reactions on the surface, Shinpi still felt everything deeply.

"There were more of them. What happened to the bodies?" Hiei asked her quietly, because he had no doubt there were plenty of bodies.

When he looked her over, Shinpi looked ready to flee even though this was her room.

"Does it matter?" She responded calmly. "I won. You're alive."

"Why are you nervous?"

Her eyes widened a fraction before she told him, "I have no reason to be nervous."

"I know, that's what makes it so curious." Hiei stalked toward her, his hand resting on the side of her neck before she could flit away. He bowed his head and inhaled along the line of her throat.

Shinpi's reaction wasn't what he'd expected and it was better than he'd dared to hope. She craned her head to the side, allowing him access to that expanse of smooth skin, her lips parting in a sigh that shuddered down her form. Hiei glanced down at her balled fists with a smirk of satisfaction. The fact she didn't shove him off of her thrilled him in a feral, unspeakable part of his mind.

"You smell of anxiety and anticipation, _princess_. I wonder what the cause could be." Hiei spoke the words so that his breath fanned against her throat and she shivered again.

He was quickly growing greedy with the desire to see what other reactions he could claim from this stubborn woman. So greedy, he had forgotten why he'd actually followed her into her room or why he'd been so angry. Shinpi's scent filled his senses and clouded his judgement.

Was his doing the same to her?

"I've been waiting on your temper to rear its ugly head." Shinpi whispered the response. "I thought you'd find my tactics to be…unsatisfactory."

"You're in luck, then, that I find them to be _very_ satisfactory." Hiei told her quietly before raising his mouth to the outer shell of her ear. "But I don't think the others will share my view on this one."

He pulled back from her personal space and watched as she resettled herself, fussing over her clothes and shaking her head as if to dispel the gooseflesh risen on her skin. Her eyes hardened on him and Hiei smirked at her, breezily making his way toward her door.

For once, it was him who had put Shinpi on her toes.

"The black brings out the fire in your eyes far better than the green." He tossed the statement her way before ducking out of the room and he heard her frustrated growl as the door clicked closed behind him.

Shinpi pinched her eyes closed, allowing herself to catch her breath now that she was alone. Her hand traveled up to her neck and she turned to stare at the door for a moment, one small flicker in her soul wishing it open again. With great effort she shoved the notion away.

Not now.

Playing games was well and fun, but she couldn't risk letting this stray from that territory. Sure, she adored Hiei. He had his own sort of charm about him that drew her like a moth to a flame, but theirs wasn't a romantic relationship. It couldn't be. For one, Hiei would never allow it.

Of course… if romance didn't need to be involve… maybe…

No.

And yet, she glanced at the door one more time. Just in case.

* * *

At the first hint of extra company, Hiei had made himself scarce. He had no desire to be a part of another dinner party, something he'd made clear before disappearing. He'd fend for himself.

Which left Shinpi on her own to face down the suddenly nerve wracking task of meeting Yusuke's girlfriend. Where these jitters had come from, she couldn't really say, but doubt had started to creep in the minute Yusuke had announced Keiko was on her way to stay the night at the temple.

"It's about time you two meet anyway." He'd waved his hand through the air.

Kurama had expressed how important Keiko's opinion was to Yusuke. He'd told her about how long the two love birds had known each other and about that time is when the nerves began. What if Keiko didn't like her? What would that mean? She'd been tasked with making good impressions before, but this felt different.

With her coming announcement lingering on the horizon, this meeting held the utmost importance. To keep Yusuke's friendship she needed to win Keiko's.

Dealing with people was so exhausting. There was only so much she could take and even less that she could plan for accurately when dealing with a completely unknown agent. Wiping her palms on her jeans she inhaled steadily and let it out slowly. The sound of footsteps in the hall had brought her to her feet just before the detective and his guest came into the living room.

Shinpi's eyes shifted from Yusuke to the woman beside him. With a flick of her gaze, she took in the woman's appearance head to toe. Then she looked back to Yusuke with the small tilt of her head. An attractive woman, about his age. Long brunette hair and large, warm brown eyes fringed in dark lashes. A steady smile plastered on her face, but also a vein ticking in her forehead. Her elbow dug into Yusuke's ribs suddenly, her first words tense.

"Yusuke. Aren't you going to introduce me to your lady friend?" She spoke through her teeth, smile still in place.

Shinpi smiled then, a genuine expression, admiring the way the woman doubled Yusuke over without trouble. "You must be Miss Yukimura. I've heard nothing but good things about you. Next time aim for the space just under the sternum, it'll have a better impact."

"Jesus Christ Shinpi, don't give her pointers." Yusuke complained, rubbing his ribs. "Keiko this is Shinpi."

Blue eyes moved over to meet his gaze, a coy smile playing over Shinpi's features as Keiko assessed her.

"I understand everything." She warned him with a friendly smile, but the bright expression made him balk, sweat forming on his forehead as instant dread hit him.

"Everything about what?" Keiko looked between them, lips pursing. "Is he up to something again?"

"A constant state of being, without question. But hardly anything to worry about." Shinpi offered with warmth. "So, Miss Yukimura, I take it your beloved hasn't mentioned me much."

"You'd be right about that." Keiko frowned then, arms crossing. "He's said something a time or two about some case he's been on lately."

"Oh, come on Keiko. Don't look at me like that. Shinpi is really Hiei's problem anyway, I just try to check in sometimes." Yusuke whined, tossing his head back. "She's a friend but…"

"Urameshi, you don't have to lie to protect me. Not from her." Shinpi sighed softly, unfolding herself and rising to her feet. Turning to Keiko she gestured loosely to Yusuke. "I've asked those that know of me to keep it a guarded secret, Miss Yukimura, so any deception on his part is my fault. I've found myself on the wrong end of a powerful enemy and while I gain the strength to handle it, keeping myself hidden is of great importance to me."

Keiko softened immediately, nodding twice before casting a glance at Yusuke. That single look expressed her apology and her sudden understanding.

"So, I've heard that you teach." Shinpi interrupted the moment with the statement and just like that the emotion cleared the air, Keiko lurching headfirst into a lengthy description of her job.

Yusuke eyed the demoness and then mouthed a thank you to which she offered a scant nod.

It was hours later when Shinpi found Yusuke rummaging through the cabinets that she decided to corner him. A wicked grin in place she leaned against the counter beside him, her missing energy and her soft footsteps allowing her closer than most would've gotten without him noticing.

"So this explains the ring box you've been carrying around. I thought it was a good luck charm. Turns out you're just a hopeless fool." She studied her nails with that smirk, taking pleasure in the way he jumped at her intrusion.

"Keep it down." He shushed her harshly, dropping to a whisper.

"Your reason for the delay?" She pressed idly. "Concerns or timing?"

He looked around the empty kitchen, bowing his head closer to hers. "Both?"

"Ah, the classic dilemma." She nodded, dropping her hand and moving her gaze to study his face. "May I offer you a piece of advice?"

"Sure. I'll take all I can get." He nodded readily.

"You cannot conjure the perfect moment because you are not perfect." Shinpi expressed quietly. When his face fell she went on. "Which is what she loves about you. You're focusing too much on planning."

"Coming from you that feels like a real dig." He pointed out with a small grin.

"That's how you know it's true. In this case perfectionism will get you nowhere. Instead, embrace a moment that defines the two of you and your love for each other, and allow for flaws. A date to the park ruined by rain that leaves you both laughing, a failed attempt at cooking a meal, those moments are startlingly perfect, Yusuke. Trust in them." She offered him a lighthearted pat on the shoulder and then pushed off the counter. He stopped her with his stare. "What?"

"That's the first time you've used my first name." He told her with a grin. "Thanks _princess_."

Her expression dulled in a microsecond. "Don't call me that."

"Aw, come on. I thought we were having a moment." He teased her, leaning forward with his hands on his hips.

"You were having a moment. I was just pointing out what an idiot you are." She pointedly glanced over his shoulder to Keiko who had come into the kitchen quietly, a wide smile on her face. Yusuke looked back his girlfriend with a grin that radiated love.

Shinpi walked away from them, allowing the couple to have a moment. When she rounded the entry into the hall, she came to a stop. Hiei leaned against the wall a few feet away, watching her carefully. She assessed him warily, then pulled her shoulders back to march passed him.

"I didn't take you for a romantic." Hiei admitted, pushing off the wall to fall into step beside her, to her obvious chagrin.

"I'm a complex woman, Hiei. I have many facets." She told him with a sigh. "I used to believe in romance but seeing as how I was duped so thoroughly, I find it hard to face it again myself. However, for others, I'm all for it."

He remained quiet, listening to her talk. Then, in the most reserved tone he'd ever used with her. "Hiro."

"The center of all my problems other than my stubborn nature and stupidity. I was enamored with a man who seemed enamored with me. It was a tiger trap and I find the spikes still embedded in my heart and soul, even after all this time." She paused and then made a face. "I'm sorry, I'm boring you with my rambling, idle confessions."

She shook herself and smoothed her hands over her clothing before shoving them into her pockets.

Hiei wasn't sure what would be the worse decision, admitting he was interested in hearing more or letting Shinpi think he didn't care at all about her past. If he continued down that path she might stop with these little moments. But if he pressed her, she might shut down.

"Oh, by the way." She turned to him again. "I think it would be best if you kept the sword on you from now on. As a precaution. I'd feel better if it were actually guarded and not tucked away under some loose floorboard in Genkai's room."

When Hiei shot her a scathing look she shrugged.

"I've known where it's been hiding for a while." She admitted, that careful neutrality back in place. "It took me a while to find it though. You're clever putting it in Genkai's room. The wards she keeps in place were a good touch."

"You're worried someone else will come for it." Hiei didn't need to ask, he knew this to be true.

"I am." She agreed readily.

"Why don't I stash it in your room, then? Since you're so noble you won't have any issues keeping your hands off of it." He teased her.

Her gaze swept down him, then back up. "Even I can only take so much temptation before I give in, Hiei. Faced with the sword every day, it would only be a matter of time before I succumbed and put my hands _all over it_."

"It's hard to imagine you succumbing to anything." He admitted, his hands in his pockets. "I figured your desire to prove someone else wrong would win out over any amount of temptation."

"In this one instance, Hiei, you may be thinking too highly of me. I have plenty of weaknesses, I'm just very good at hiding them." She teased.

"Unless those weaknesses are children. Or Kuwabara." He noted.

"Or you." She tacked on and it made him frown.

"No. Not me. You're not allowed to get _weak_ over me." Hiei told her, eyes narrowed. "I don't want to be an excuse for you to get yourself hurt or killed."

She didn't readily agree or tease him and that only agitated him further. When he went to grab her arm she carefully stepped out of reach, veering toward the living room where she knew he'd drop the conversation. Hiei made a sound of frustration beside her.

"You've made yourself clear, Hiei." She assured him before breezing into the room, taking a seat beside Kurama.

Hiei pursed his lips, scowled and then marched into the room after her, sinking down onto the couch on her other side. Kurama glanced at him, puzzled.

"Don't force yourself." Shinpi muttered. "We're done discussing this."

"Fine." Hiei accepted her clear warning. "As long as we're agreed."

She said nothing and he shot her a look. She ignored it.

"Later." He promised her.

"No." She refuted and it made him stiffen. "If you're not going to relax and enjoy the company, then get lost."

He smirked, realizing his proximity had put her on edge, and settled into the couch, widening his stance some. Shinpi stubbornly refused to budge so his leg pressed against hers. Without another word to him, she involved herself in the conversation going around the room.

* * *

Yusuke swore, moving to spike his controller onto the floor when Shinpi's hand flashed out to catch it before it collided with the hardwood. After a moment of him cooling down, she offered it back to him. After another minute of stewing, he accepted and settled back next to her on the ground.

"What's up with you and Hiei?" Yusuke asked her, glancing her direction as she selected her character from the lineup of the fighting game they were playing.

"The same as usual, we are determined to out stubborn each other over something trivial." Shinpi responded easily, her focus on the television screen.

He nodded, and they started playing again. Between rounds he asked, "How do you feel about him though?"

"Right now? I feel annoyed. But in general I like him. He keeps me on my toes." Shinpi continued to tap away at her controller without breaking her stride. "He'll get over this little tantrum."

"You don't think he's being weird lately?" Yusuke didn't even swear as she offed his character again.

"Not really. I'll admit we've entered new territory. I would even go so far as to call him my friend." She shrugged. "Why? Is he being weird to you?"

Yusuke wrinkled his nose and leaned back on his hands, his controller in his lap. "I mean, sort of? He just seems to be different around you."

"Oh, well, he loves to ride the high horse of being my savior." She informed. "I swear if we have one more conversation about it being his job to keep me safe, I'll strangle him."

"Cut him some slack, he's not used to being charge of someone else's wellbeing." Yusuke teased her, grinning. "It's not like you make it easy for him."

"Why would I? It's far more fun to annoy him." Shinpi grinned back.

"Just between us, I think he likes it that way."

"I do too." Her admittance came with more reverie than either of them expected. Then she shook herself. "Anyway, when are you going to propose?"

She chose the right topic because Yusuke started to lament his previous attempts at wooing Keiko into being his wife. It was a relief to be able to listen and nod. It definitely helped to keep the topic off of her and Hiei. Somewhere between the story of how he asked Keiko to marry him when he was fifteen and coming back from Demon World Shinpi decided she was going to tell Yusuke and Kurama the next day about her arrangement with Koenma. She'd Kazuma to inform him too.

It was only courtesy, after all.


	27. Tenuous Connections

"I don't understand." Koenma stared up at his father's face, confusion written into the shape of his brows. "Are you saying _you're_ the one who authorized this?"

He held a piece of paper aloft, shaking it slightly.

"It's not for you to understand." King Enma looked down from his seat. "All you need to know is that it was designed this way."

"But-"

"That's enough."

Koenma pressed his lips together and then nodded, the paper crinkling in his hand as he tightened his fingers into a fist at his side. Without another word he left. When he made it back to his office, Botan was waiting with her nails caught in her teeth.

"Did he explain?" She asked him nervously.

"No. But he did answer me on one front." Koenma walked over to his desk, grabbing a folder he kept in the top drawer because he'd needed to look it over so often lately. Smoothing out the paper he placed the reincarnation approval form back where he found it and then stared at the two photographs paper clipped to the opposite side of the file. He closed the folder on both sets of blue eyes that stared back at him.

Botan watched him, her frown deepening.

"He's the one who approved Amon-Shinpi to be reincarnated into her current form." Koenma kept his voice quiet, his eyes moving to the door as if he feared someone would barrel in and interrupt them. "This isn't like Kurama at all. There was never a Mikamoto to erase. That body was always going to be hers."

Botan straightened, her blue hair falling over her shoulder as she swiveled to face him. "But _why_?"

And Koenma's face grew grim as she watched, his fingers toying with Shinpi's file, playing with the edges of the papers he'd been ceaselessly trying to make sense of for months. With a hard tone he finally answered her.

"That would be the question, wouldn't it?"

* * *

Yusuke stared at her without blinking. It was obvious he was trying to intimidate her into caving. Shinpi wasn't falling for it. Her back remained straight as she stared back at him.

"This is bullshit I hope you know that." He finally responded to her, huffing. "A big, fresh, steaming pile-"

"Yusuke." Keiko touched his shoulder and he glanced toward her before shooting a glare at Shinpi.

"I can't believe after everything you didn't even both to tell us you were meeting with Koenma behind our backs." He accused and the blue eyed woman flinched slightly at his heated tone. "This isn't how friends act, your highness. It's bullshit. You should have come to us first."

"It wasn't a conspiracy." Shinpi argued quietly. "I wasn't trying to rile everyone up."

"I told you it'd be worse if you waited." Hiei muttered behind her, arms crossed while he leaned by the door to keep her from fleeing the room.

"Oh, well of course Hiei knew." Yusuke gestured to the fire demon, getting to his feet to pace.

"I found out by accident. It wasn't my place to bring it to your attention." Hiei remarked dryly, glaring at Yusuke.

"He'll come to understand." Kurama told Shinpi, cupping his hand over one the fists she'd balled on top of her leg. She allowed the hand to relax and moved to holding his, her thumb absently stroking his skin.

Hiei watched the interaction and felt a tug of anger. His lips pressed into a line.

"I'm not any happier about it." He announced, turning his attention back to Yusuke. "I think it's foolish and selfish."

Shinpi flinched again.

"It's not like I'm kicking anyone out of my life." She finally spoke, addressing everyone in the room before honing in on Yusuke. "Yusuke, we're friends are we not?"

"I don't know, are we? Because this doesn't feel like something a friend would do." He snapped at her. "I thought you liked hanging out with us."

"I do." She told him firmly.

"Then why?" He demanded, pointing at her. "Why are you ghosting on us? We're a team."

"For the last goddamn time I am not a member of your team." She was on her feet, Kurama's hand long forgotten in her frustration. "I have never been a member of your team. Spirit World would never endorse me, and I've said it a million times. I'm tired of hearing about it as if somehow, being united by work should be more important than willing participating in each other's lives. I would rather know that our friendship is based outside of Spirit World's demands, personally, but if me not being your parolee puts an end to this then fine."

"You're more than a parolee!" Yusuke yelled at her. "You're my friend and I don't understand why you had to hide this!"

"Because I wasn't sure if he'd go through with it!" Shinpi yelled back and then clamped her mouth closed. Silence rang as she recovered her calm. "Yusuke, I meant what I said on the mountain. This doesn't change that for me."

The implication that she felt it changed things for him made him glower. "Yeah, well, it doesn't change nothing for me either. You're still my friend even if you are an idiot. I don't like this at all though. It feels fishy."

"I agree." Hiei voiced.

"See, even Hiei thinks so." Yusuke gestured toward the fire demon again.

"I'm afraid I disagree with both of you, then." Kurama spoke from the couch. "I think it's high time that our Hichi be allowed to return to her life."

"Of course you agree with her." Hiei's scathing remark earned a glance from the fox that warned he might need to cool his tone. "You two are always colluding together. I wouldn't be surprised if you put the thought into her head."

"And why are you so against this?" Kurama pried and it struck a nerve, making Hiei's jaw locked up. "You, out of all of us, hate being confined. I'd have thought you'd sympathize a bit more with Hichi's plight, Hiei. All she's asking for is the chance to live her life. Were you not granted that very same thing?"

Hiei didn't respond because nothing he could say would keep him out of trouble.

"And it's like she says, it's not like she's going anywhere. We're still free to visit you, aren't we?" Kurama turned to the woman and she nodded, relaxing some with his support.

"I'd be upset if you didn't." She admitted and reclaimed her seat beside the fox. "Honestly, the worst part about convincing Koenma of this was wondering if you'd all celebrate being rid of me. I… I wasn't sure if our ties were only tangled because they had to be. I'd like to know that even without it being a job, I could still rely on you all."

"Ugh." Yusuke threw his head back. "Now I feel bad. That's not fair."

Keiko smiled and then moved to sit on Shinpi's other side. "I'm sorry he's such a loud jerk."

"He's right to be angry. I should have brought it up sooner." Shinpi allowed, glancing Hiei's way. "I was just wary of what the reception to the news would be. But really, this doesn't have to change anything. It just means that when we hang out, it'll be as friends. And it won't have to be every day. You'll all be able to return to your lives as well."

Hiei stalked from the room. With Yusuke settled he had lost his only ally in this fight. They heard the front door slammed closed a few seconds later. Shinpi started, turning to glance at his now empty post by the door. Her frown was prominent, her confusion clear as day.

"He's known for a week. Why is he still so angry?" She muttered to herself. But Kurama glanced at her curiously and she squinted at him, then pulled her attention to Yusuke and Keiko before getting to her feet. "Now I get the immense pleasure of having to tell Kazuma over the phone."

Yusuke winced, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd start with the fact you'll still be training him."

"I appreciate the advice." She sighed and raked her fingers through her bangs. "What a nightmare. You were supposed to be disposable. I blame your damnable charm, Yusuke."

Kurama laughed at her disparaged tone as she left the room and it made Yusuke grin. But the expression fell quickly. His brown eyes locked onto green.

"They're up to something and it's not good." He kept his voice low, more than aware of their friend's keen hearing.

"I agree. But I can't fathom what it might be at this point." Kurama nodded sharply, once.

Keiko looked between them. "You know what she needs? A nice day out on the town with some gentler personalities she can let her guard down around. I'd need a break from all of you too."

Kurama's smile unfurled slowly, his eyes moving from Yusuke to the intelligent brunette on the other side of the couch. Yusuke glanced between them.

"You're a genius, Keiko. Yusuke is lucky to have you on his side." Kurama declared warmly. "I think you're right. I think our darling Hichi might very well need a change of company. A day out with the girls sounds exactly what this situation calls for."

Yusuke grinned then, nodding silently.

"Will she agree to it?" Keiko wondered, looking over to her boyfriend. "She doesn't know us all that well."

"If you get Yukina to ask her, she'll do anything." Yusuke announced. "She can't say no to Yukina."

"She can't say no to anyone if they ask her the right way. Yukina might seem suspicious at this juncture, Yusuke. I think this might be a job for someone else we know." The glint to that weighted green gaze spoke of plots already in action.

* * *

Hiei had only come back because Kurama had come to fetch him. He was covered in sweat and still had anger to expel. With the detective still here maybe they could get some decent sparring in. He needed to clear his head, beating on Yusuke normally helped. If nothing else, he'd find himself exhausted at the end of the day.

Koenma sat in the armchair, eyes flicking around the room after his announcement, seemingly annoyed no one had reacted.

"Yeah, yeah, we know already. Don't wet yourself." Yusuke waved a hand through the air. "She told us this morning."

Koenma shot Shinpi a look. "You were supposed to keep it to yourself."

"It was unavoidable." She shrugged. "Hiei found out and from there the situation deteriorated."

Hiei shot her a look too, because that was certainly not how the events had transpired in his view. "Is that how it happened?"

"That's how it happened." Shinpi affirmed.

"Well, that's it then. You're on your own." Koenma waved a hand at the demoness. "Don't kill anyone. Try not to cause any disturbances."

"I know." She sighed, relieved but unable to relax. "It feels strange, now that it's unofficial. So much of my time is mine again. What should I do with it?"

"Nothing devious." Koenma warned her and that earned a guarded glance from the woman.

She got to her feet and seemed a little lost for a moment as to what to do with herself. Hiei scoffed at the display. If she was so uncertain she shouldn't have gone through with this move. But he didn't announce his thoughts, instead glaring at her before averting his gaze altogether. Foolish woman.

"Let's celebrate by going shopping!" Botan trotted over to Shinpi's side, winding her arms around the shorter girl's. Her brilliant smile made Shinpi visibly wince. "Oh, come on, it'll be good for you to relax a day and you just said you didn't know what to do with yourself. We'll keep you out of trouble!"

"I don't find shopping relaxing." Shinpi spoke as if this weren't the first time her and Botan had had this conversation. "Besides, my clothes are fine."

"Oh! A girl's day! We can take Yukina and stay at our place and leave the boys here to pummel each other." Keiko came over on Shinpi's other side, taking that arm into her own. Both women leaned into the smaller girl. "It'll be a blast. Plus, it'll allow us to get to know each other better."

Shinpi darted her gaze between them, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Please?" Botan wiggled with Shinpi's arm still in her grasp. "It'll be so much fun. And it'll be good bonding like Keiko says."

Shinpi craned her head away from Botan, looking mildly pained. "I should have never told you I have a hard time saying no to pretty girls when they smile. You're the devil, Botan."

"Close, but not quite." Botan beamed, bouncing slightly. "Is that a yes?"

"I have conditions." A blue eye cut toward amethyst. "You can have your shopping day for a price, Grim Reaper."

Botan blinked, her expression blank for a second and then she laughed brightly and planted a kiss on Shinpi's cheek when it was offered to her. Keiko laughed too, kissing the other cheek without prompting and Shinpi's face turned pink but she was smiling, purely smug with the moment.

"Hey, no fair." Yusuke complained. "That's my girl."

"For now." Shinpi winked at him and then settled into her captivity. "Alright ladies, whisk me away."

"Are you really going to squander your first day of freedom _shopping_?" Hiei asked her dully, eyes raking over the scene before him with clear distaste written on his face.

"Don't worry, handsome, I'll buy something nice for you." Shinpi teased him with her full-hearted grin and it made him hunch his shoulders.

"That's not the point." He muttered, looking away.

Was this why she wanted out from under him so badly? So she could go _shopping_ with _pretty girls_ on her own? She looked more than pleased with Botan's affections and it left him feeling disgruntled. Then, very suddenly, he realized that other than her toying with alpha a week or so back he had only really seen her show interest in other women.

Was it possible…

No. She'd said she'd been _enamored_ with Hiro. But then again, that was a long time ago and she'd also said he was the reason she didn't particularly seek romance for herself.

Hiei squinted at her, trying to puzzle this one out without outside help when Kurama leaned over to him.

"She's interested in all parties." Kurama kept his voice pitched low.

"I don't care." Hiei whispered back sharply annoyed the fox had been able to guess at his thoughts.

Kurama just stared at him without an expression until Hiei looked away.

"Don't get into trouble, okay? We'll meet up later." Yusuke shot a harmless finger gun Shinpi's direction. "And keep my girl safe, y'hear me?"

"I might just keep her in general." Shinpi shot back to him smugly.

Yusuke yelled something at her and she chuckled before the girls pulled her off to get ready for their adventure, leaving the three boys behind with Koenma. It felt weird, after so many months with Shinpi barging into the meetings or being forced into them, to have her absent. They all looked around at each other.

"So, what's new?" Yusuke asked finally, turning Koenma to break the silence.

"Nothing you can help with." Koenma admitted. "There's been a bit of trouble with some demons but it's a delicate situation. Demon World has asked to handle it themselves so if we get involved it'll be a nightmare. I'm actually meeting with the king tomorrow about it."

"Ugh, now that Shinpi's all rehabilitated and stuff it's going to be boring." Yusuke whined, throwing himself onto the couch with no grace. "I can't believe that after five months this is it."

"It's not as if she's moving to another country." Koenma rolled his eyes. "I just need her to be free of supervision for this next stage."

"You need her to be free of supervision?" Hiei locked onto Koenma with a guarded expression. "Why? What do you get out of her being _free_?"

He'd expected Koenma to falter or sweat like he normally did when he was lying but the prince merely stared back at him.

"In order to be sure that she's actually been rehabilitated and that she's not a threat, I need to see how she operates without your interference. Left to her own devices does Amon-Shinpi continue to act to protect? Or does she seek to destroy?" Koenma explained. "This will be a very telling period and she needs to succeed in presenting herself as a productive member of society."

"There are doubts ringing through Spirit World about her motives, then." Kurama sank down into an armchair and regarded Koenma. "The SDF?"

"Yes." Koenma nodded. "There's been some suspicion that she's been manipulating you all."

"It's her own fault for having a silver tongue." Hiei grumbled. "She has a habit of talking her way out of trouble and bewitching people. This sort of suspicion is to be expected."

"It's not just her way with words, Hiei." Koenma made a face. "There's talk of bribery."

"Bribery?" Yusuke sat up. "What the hell does she have that any of us want?"

"Power." Koenma grimaced. "Shinpi has trained under several old masters, including her grandfather Hichirou. He was a powerful elemental, his weapon of choice: fire. Some of her techniques would be quite…appealing to the right demon."

Hiei stiffened. "I don't need her techniques."

"It's not just you, Hiei. There's also the matter of her holding influence in the Makai. Her connection to Mukuro, as strained as it is, could sway the balance of politics on that side if she were to misuse her efforts. I've been trying my best to convince the SDF and father that she's on our side, and that she will remain there but the fact remains-"

"That she's a demon." Kurama finished the sentence for him. "Her relationship with Mukuro was personal, though. They had very different political stances."

"Yeah." Yusuke nodded. "Not to mention she was an ally of the old man back in the day. Shouldn't that hold some weight?"

"What's important isn't the past, but the present. Whatever Shinpi does next has to be her own decision." Koenma frowned at them all. "I don't like this anymore than you do."

"What happens if she slips?" Yusuke asked.

Hiei glanced at him, then to Koenma with a look that made the prince swallow.

"He'll order us to take her out." It was the most certain thing in the world. "Or, because we've been _compromised_ , the SDF will intervene."

"It's the worst case scenario, and we're going to work to avoid it." Koenma looked toward Yusuke to avoid Hiei's heated stare. "She's still your friend. It's not like contact with her is forbidden, and trust me it took a lot of convincing to lift that particular clause-"

"She wanted you to _forbid_ us from contacting her?" Hiei demanded, stepping toward him.

"Actually, no. That clause came from a station higher than my own. Shinpi was the one who argued against it and eventually got her way." Koenma tipped his head to the side. "She was vehemently against the idea that you lot should be barred from seeing her. In fact, she said she'd rather not change the status quo if that were the price for her freedom."

"She was going to stay on parole just to keep us around?" Yusuke grinned. "That little shit."

Hiei turned and left the room. He'd heard all that he needed to.

"Hiei knew before the rest of us and yet he still seems agitated by this change." Kurama watched the doorway for a moment.

"Genkai said those two were getting close. She thinks they understand each other." Koenma shrugged. "I'm glad that he's been taking his role seriously. I was almost afraid that his influence on Shinpi would prove to be too volatile."

"I think it may be the other way around." Kurama announced. "I'm a bit worried he might not know what to do with himself now."

"He'll do what he always does when he gets bored. He'll go back to Mukuro." Yusuke shrugged.

* * *

"Adorable!" Yukina and Botan cried, eyes full of light as they stared at Shinpi.

The woman offered a pained expression in response, wondering how she'd been so thoroughly manipulated. But alas, she had been. Honestly. She needed to raise her defenses around these girls. Even as she thought it Keiko tossed out her own glowing review and Shinpi felt her fight leave her.

"You look lovely." Keiko spoke softly, with a smile of her own. "But you look uncomfortable."

"I'm not totally opposed to dresses." Shinpi plucked at the deep purple fabric clinging to her waist before it flared around her hips slightly. "I'm just not in the mood to wear one."

"Aw, boo." Botan put her hands on her hips. "I've never seen you in a dress."

"I have, a time or two." Yukina voiced. "She always looks lovely in them."

"Thank you. But I feel like it's more of a shorts sort of day." Shinpi walked away from the dressing room and plucked a pair of olive green shorts from a rack. "I could actually use some new workout clothes, now that I'm thinking of it."

"Oh, workout clothes. I make Yusuke buy the cheapest things because he just goes through them so fast." Keiko complained. "What is it with those boys and tearing their clothes? I swear."

"It's unavoidable at times." Shinpi responded absently, ducking back into the dressing room. She pulled the curtain closed. "When Yusuke spars with Hiei, for instance, there's the guarantee of burns. Kurama and his whip and petals would easily destroy most fabrics. Even against me his clothes aren't safe, I'm afraid. What with my knives and whatnot."

"Knives?" Keiko blinked as Shinpi came out of the stall again wearing the olive green shorts and a loose white top. It looks quite casual. Keiko walked over and knotted the shirt at Shinpi's belly button. "That's cute. I approve."

"I'll admit that's definitely more you." Botan nodded. "Now for some cute accessories!"

Shinpi glanced at the ferry girl with a nod, then turned back to Keiko. "I fight with a multitude of weaponry."

"Sounds dangerous." She pursed her lips.

"Not for Yusuke, I couldn't bring myself to harm a hair on that boy's head." The raven haired girl shrugged, then smirked. "Well, not seriously anyway."

"Aren't you worried about someone else coming to attack you?" Yukina asked quietly. "I worry about you being on your own now that your energy is back. It was easier for you to blend in before."

Shinpi shrugged. "I can handle pretty much anything that comes my way."

Botan frowned and the demoness caught the expression. Shinpi wrinkled her nose, looking away toward the large windows of the store front.

"I mean, diplomatically of course. I'm certain that if I'm in peril I'll call for help and allow the correct authorities to handle the situation." Shinpi declared and it sounded stiff. Botan cast her a look at the obviously rehearsed speech but received nothing in response.

"Do you have any plans?" Botan asked her, changing topics and then made a kitten sound, putting a pair of fake cat ears on her head. "Perhaps there's someone you've been hoping to have time to see?"

Shinpi laughed and shook her head. Yukina giggled too, grabbing a pair of ears and then placing them on Shinpi's head. The blue eyed girl blinked owlishly.

"Why does that work so well?" Keiko asked, surprised. "They look almost natural on you."

That earned a wolfish grin, and Shinpi lifted her chin casting a heated look Keiko's way. The human woman blushed profusely.

"I wonder." Shinpi stated with that same expression before pulling the ears down and examining them. She shrugged and tossed them into the basket of accessories they'd accumulated before hauling it all to the counter and paying for it despite the shocked protests of the other women. In the end she ignored them and merely handed them each a bag of their chosen goods before directing them to a shop that carried workout gear she wanted to try out.

"I'll be right back." Shinpi declared as they made their way toward a small place for lunch, arms loaded with bags. She handed hers to Botan. "I just saw something I wanted to grab."

"We'll come with you." Yukina offered only to receive a headshake.

"Go get our seats. I won't be long. I'd like a soda." She told the ice maiden and then started to retrace her steps back the way they'd come.

With a glance toward the side mirrors of the cars on the street she made sure the others were headed off before her shoulders stiffened and she blurred right behind them, yanking a demon away from Keiko at the last second. She'd been waiting for that bastard to make a move since he started following them two blocks back. Keiko commented on the sudden breeze, rubbing the back of her neck but finding something to see when she turned around. Shinpi was already in the alley a few yards away, listening for the group to keep moving before turning her attention on the demon in her grasp. Her palm cupped over its mouth, her arm wound around its throat so she could keep it in place while she watched her surroundings.

"Bold choice, coming alone." Shinpi hissed in the demon's ear. "Were you sent?"

It shook its head as best it could.

"Good. Are you alone?" She demanded quietly, receiving a nod. That was all she needed to know. With a quick move tightened her grip. "You were going to kill her."

No response. She shook her head. A quick motion snapped the being's neck, and she hoisted the body into the dumpster she'd hid behind, rearranging the bags to cover him. Then she rolled her shoulders, straightened her clothes and plastered a smile on her face, preparing herself to face the girls as if nothing had happened.

That was the second one today.

Hiei looked down on her from his hidden spot on the roof of a building overlooking the alley, his energy completely hidden. He watched Shinpi scan the street, her gaze cool and relentless before she shoved her hands into the pockets of her shorts, her gait relaxed and he knew it was all an act. She was on high alert. And apparently she wasn't all that interested in sticking to what she'd told Botan.

Of course, she hadn't been in peril. It would take far more serious odds to make her believe she was. They really needed to be careful with how they worded things around this woman. She was a master of subtle manipulation. And apparently also a ruthless, remorseless killer when needed. It appeared she hadn't noticed him at all either.

Now, wasn't that just _so very_ interesting? He'd wondered before what she was like when he wasn't around. And it seemed he had finally earned his chance to find out. A twisted smirk curved his mouth, then grew to reveal one of his sharpened canines.


	28. Power Struggle

**A/N: I'm exhausted, it's 130 in the morning and this chapter has been kicking my ass for days. I'm tired of looking at it. That being said, I will go through it again tomorrow and comb out the errors I know are glaringly obvious to anyone's brain but mine. I just wanted to post this.**

 **The past few days have been really tough for me, mentally. High stress, high drain, low recovery days. It sort of sucks because when I drafted this chapter I was really excited about it. I even told the writing group I'm in how excited I was. Now? Now I feel like a hack writer and it's taking all my effort to just post the thing. (This is NOT a callout for sympathy or anything. Just an explanation.)**

 **As always, I love to hear from you guys and your reviews mean the world from me. Every single person who reads this, reviewing or otherwise, has my love and respect. Thank you for taking your time to read my story. I hope it brings something good to your day. 3**

* * *

What an exhausting night. Shinpi came into her house about ready to keel over for need of sleep. That gnawing fatigue didn't stop her from scanning her house for foreign energy. The pit of her stomach hardened some when she found the spare room empty _again_. Pursing her lips, she shrugged off the frustration that she was alone, climbing her stairs slowly without bothering to turn on any of the lights.

It was probably best that Hiei wasn't around. If he caught her coming home at four in the morning reeking of Makai he'd undoubtedly have questions. Questions she couldn't rightly answer.

That didn't stop her from wondering exactly what business he had being so put out with her. What an ass. It had been nearly a month since she'd seen the cheeky fire demon. And he'd been nothing but a ghost since. The second bedroom still housed his duffle bag of disregarded human clothes, shoved into the back of the closet carelessly. She stopped outside the open door and peered into the room, eying the empty bed and wrinkled her nose before turning to her own room.

He'd turn up sooner or later.

He had too. They couldn't be rivals if they didn't ever fight again. Much less _friends_. And whether the petulant fool wanted to admit it or not, they _were_ friends. He'd eventually succumb to that notion.

With a sigh she stripped out of her clothes and landed face first onto her mattress, smothering herself in her pillows.

* * *

Hiei glared at Mukuro, his fists raised as he tried to catch what he could of his breath. "What do you mean there's nothing I can do?"

She came at him in a flurry, far less exhausted than he found himself.

"She pursues her ideas to the very end, Hiei. Truly a predator to the very end." Mukuro explained lightly, landing a punch that sent her second in command sprawling back. "Why do you need to know how to dissuade her?"

"There has to be a way to keep her in line. I want to know what it is. Some trick to talking her out of her moronic ideas." Hiei got to his feet and raised his fists again.

"Talking? How unlike you." Mukuro teased him. "Perhaps our mutual friend is a good influence on you."

"Hardly. Beating her senseless just hasn't helped so I'm attempting a new tactic. Don't look too into it." Hiei scoffed and he came at her, managing to land a strike on Mukuro's ribs that caught her by surprise. Her fist bit into his cheek, sending back on his toes. "Shinpi's deference for language has to have some usefulness other than annoying me."

"Why does her freedom bother you so much?" Mukuro asked him, watching as he rubbed his jaw.

"Because she's going to squander it." Hiei offered the partial truth because it's all he wanted to say.

There was no need to vocalize his concern that left unsupervised, Shinpi would find more trouble for herself than she could handle. After watching her protect Keiko a few weeks before it had dawned on him. For herself she could endure any manner of tortures or slights. He'd seen it in action when she'd allowed Matsuma to berate her. But for those she held dear? She would act in any way she deemed necessary if it meant keeping them safe.

And that didn't even touch the subject of the fact she seemed to draw small armies out from the wood work.

He wanted to find a way to keep her from risking her life for others. There had to be something. He'd spent three weeks looking on from a distance. Most of the time it was boring work, watching her. She didn't leave an eventful life outside of her interactions with the team, if he were being honest. Mostly a homebody, she hung out with the others semi-frequently and then went home. She read books, she wrote in her journals, she went grocery shopping. She interacted with her neighbors loosely.

A stray demon had entered her block and she'd taken it out without hesitation. Even Hiei didn't know what she'd done with that body. It made for the third kill of hers he'd witnessed since Shinpi had left the temple and him behind. All of them were quick, clean. And yet, he doubted Spirit World would care.

He had enough information he was sure he could flip Koenma's mind about this. Surely, the godling would want Shinpi kept in check, but if he went to Koenma he would incur Shinpi's wrath. That wasn't going to help.

So, he found himself seeking Mukuro's help because she knew the woman for far longer than he had and he hoped she had some insight. Only, she'd been an empty well.

"Fine, if you can't answer me about how to talk her out of her plans, then tell me what you know about her. I'll come to my own conclusions." Hiei deftly avoiding a kick aimed for his inner thigh, leverages the movement into a strike of his own. Mukuro smiled at him and he smirked back. He was getting faster.

They separated and Mukuro nodded, her gesture for the end of their fight and the beginning of her speech. Hiei regained his breath as she spoke, listening with unwavering attention.

"I knew of Amon-Shinpi before I met her. I'd heard of her through the grapevine, so to speak. Her father, Kotaru, came to visit me at some point and I asked him about her. He refused to say a word. The Takanis were that way about their children, they wanted them as removed from the prying eyes of the other kingdoms as possible. So I had to find out other ways." Mukuro looked up at the muddled red sky. "My spies told me of not one but two princesses, both with flaming red hair. One with gold eyes who held a soft disposition, Kuya, who had already married and left the territory at that time. And then there was Amon-Shinpi. Blue eyes that sent shivers down the spines of my men, a body honed for combat. Unlike her sister, she didn't wear the royal garb of her family, she wore the tunic of the guards. She was second in command then, I believe."

Hiei had no problem believing that. He merely nodded for her to continue.

"Even then, you must understand, that the Takanis were not a formidable clan. They had no army, they didn't delve into outside politics. They held some sort of alliance with Raizen, but it didn't seem he sent them troops of any kind. I was not afraid of a pack of wolves, even if they had one steel-gazed princess." Mukuro smiled then. "So we went to war.

"I knew the Takanis were elementals. I had heard stories of their patriarch, Hichirou. His power was great, fire and air, but it paled in comparison to my own. They represented no threat and without an army they were practically begging to be picked off. I had never understood why no one else had tried. Their land was the thing of legends, an oasis of blue skies and fresh air. I sent my men in with the knowledge that Hichirou had been dead for years and that the new king, Kotaru, was a pacifist at heart.

"I had not prepared them for Amon-Shinpi because I hadn't realized I would need to worry about her. A little wild-hearted princess? Who would have thought she'd hold more strength than her entire family combined? How was I to know she'd spent a chunk of her youth training outside the boundaries of her territory? I suppose, if I had known, or if I'd been more careful things may have ended differently.

"The first wave of my men was returned to me with only a single survivor. The rest arrived in carts. I was told a story of wolves that hunted them relentlessly. Of a redheaded girl on a mountainside who had summoned a tornado the size of the peak. Her presence was foretold when the sky turned black as night for the rain clouds. They'd stood no chance.

"So I sent another wave. I received another train of carts and another single survivor. More stories of storms and natural disasters. The same with the third wave. Landslides, tornados, thunder storms, floods. It was as if a reckoning had fallen upon my army. They'd started to call her the Tempest Princess and she was a ghost story they told each other in the barracks. So I gathered my own elements and sent them out to meet her. I watched from afar, to see if the stories were true."

Mukuro paused and leveled Hiei with a particular stare that he didn't bother reading into. Her eyes swept over him, noting how he'd perched on boulder in the training room to listen to her. His gaze never left her face, his lips pulled up on the sides, a glimmer of excitement running through him.

"She'd brought an army of her own, a mixture of demons and those wolves of hers. Beasts so large they stood taller than the princess herself. They would have stood no chance but when my new army approached, Amon-Shinpi told them to hold strong. Some of the them may die, she may die, but not before they beat back these invaders. The sky darkened and I couldn't look away.

"She told my men to retreat. Said she knew they'd heard of her and that if they valued their lives, they should turn tail and run. With her people behind her she would not lose. Not to them, not to anyone. Naturally they didn't. She didn't like it, I think that's what caught my interest at first. When they refused to pull back Amon-Shinpi looked bothered. She didn't _want_ to fight. But that wasn't about to stop her from doing so.

"The sky fell through and the battle started. When she moved, it was like watching someone dance in the middle of a war. So beautiful and strange and incredibly powerful. The storm only seemed to bolster her defensive capabilities. She swept men to their deaths with a landslide. And she moved so quickly. Whenever one of her people was in danger of losing their life, she would appear with her blade out, deflecting whatever attack as meant for them. Her wolves attacked with a fury, containing the struggle so that no one could flee. When I saw the vortex she was forming I knew the stories to be true and this fight to be lost. I called the troops back. I was only vaguely surprised when she allowed the sudden retreat."

Mukuro looked down at her mechanical arm, flexing metal fingers into a fist. Her eyes darkened for a moment and then she sighed.

"Her parents were killed not long after. I had ended the war but some weren't satisfied with that. They wanted revenge for the fallen, they wanted that power for themselves. The king and queen fell and through their ashes Amon-Shinpi rose like a vengeful god. I heard a rumor it took three days for her storm to stop raging. When she summoned me, I answered, because I had to know her. A skirmish and the loss of my arm later, we were precarious friends." Mukuro announced and then tossed a look toward Hiei with serious consideration. "We knew each other for some time before Hiro entered the picture and ruined her. Perhaps she desperate for companionship. I could never figure out what pull he had over her. At any rate, I never learned how to dissuade her."

Hiei sat quietly, staring at her as if waiting for more of the story before turning his eyes to the side, his thoughts rushing at him faster than he could discern. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks her fighting style holds a strange grace to it."

"Is that all you learned from this?" Mukuro asked him, amused.

"I learned plenty." Hiei hopped down from his boulder, deep in thought. "I'll piece out how to use this information."

"If I'd had you back then I wonder if I still would have lost." His commander mused, and Hiei glanced at her with a glare. "Who would win? The dragon or the Tempest Princess? The darkest fire against the most wrathful storm. It would be a fight to remember at least."

"Hn. You may get to see it yet." Hiei smirked. "She still owes me an all out fight."

"Careful with your wishes, Hiei. If she's as cutthroat in battle as she used to be, she won't allow your affection for her to keep her from killing you." Mukuro warned him. "She's like me in that way."

"I never said I held affection for the woman." Hiei pulled his brows down. "I just think it'd be a waste if she managed to get herself killed."

Mukuro offered him a single, long blink, then rolled her eyes to the side and shook her head walking away from him, muttering under her breath the entire time. She stopped by the entrance. "Perhaps you should consider how your stance on her welfare may appear to the general public and to Amon-Shinpi herself, because if I've mistaken it for affection who knows what others are seeing. You should distance yourself, Hiei, lest you give the wrong impression."

Hiei frowned, because that was not what he wanted to do at all. That was the exact opposite of the point of this. He wanted to worm his way through Shinpi's defenses and post himself inside, where he could be sure she wouldn't be picked off by any stray passerby. Mukuro's smile grew as he frowned at her and it looked like she'd heard a secret she enjoyed learning.

Which only left him more frustrated and confused than before he'd come.

* * *

Shinpi smiled, increasing her pace until she was at the side of the towering carrot top she'd spotted halfway around the track of the park's outer edge. These mundane runs were slow for her, but she liked to do them as a form of meditation. The slower, constant pace was mindless and she could run through her thoughts while performing the act. She honestly didn't know how long she'd been running today.

"Kazuma!" She called and he turned face her with wild eyes and then a smile. "Are you on lunch?"

"Yeah." He nodded and held out the bento box. "What're you up to?"

"Just going for a quick run." She stretched her legs as she talked with him. "How is the summer job?"

"It's okay. I thought I'd get to do more hands on stuff instead of paperwork though." He frowned. "I have this weekend off and was planning on going up to see you guys at the temple."

Shinpi raised an eyebrow at that. "Am I supposed to be going to the temple this weekend?"

"Yusuke didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Oh, he was supposed to invite you! Idiot. He said he would the next time he saw you." Kuwabara sighed.

"Well, I saw him two days ago but he was rather distracted with the brutal beat down I gave him through the game we were playing." She flashed him a smile. "I'll be there. I'm assuming we'll be sparring?"

"Yeah!" He beamed back at her. "I've been keeping up with my training."

"I can tell." She assured him, then reached over and ruffled his pompadour. "I'm getting back to it. Eat all your food."

Shinpi waved and then began jogging again and Hiei couldn't fathom what she found worthwhile about the hideously slow pace she'd set for herself. He took a bite from the apple he'd swiped from a nearby market and lounged in his hidden space in the trees on the edge of the park, his energy completely withdrawn so he wouldn't draw anyone's attention. His week with Mukuro had done little to solve his problem. He huffed at the mere idea of it.

His eyes followed Shinpi's track around the space. Affection. What a joke. Mukuro had no idea what she was talking about. Maybe all the peace in Makai had softened her brain. Affection. Psh. He merely wanted to see Shinpi fulfill her revenge. That was it. Because once she killed Hiro he could square off against her. This wasn't affection, it was pure selfishness. He scoffed again, biting into the apple with gusto. Crazy woman. As he chewed, he came back around to her point though, one she'd repeatedly needled him with throughout his stay.

If this wasn't a form of affection then maybe he did need to withdraw some.

The thought didn't set well with him, and he sneered at it. How was it his problem if others misinterpreted his actions? He shouldn't have to change his behavior to appease anyone, much less faceless, nameless onlookers who should be minding their own business.

Shinpi stopped running a little way from him, stretching her arms above her head and looking around. He took another bite.

Affection. How stupid.

Mukuro had gone on to suggest he _couldn't_ put distance between himself and Shinpi because he didn't _want_ to. Moronic. He'd told her he would, just to shut her up. Not that he had anything to prove.

It had been a month since he'd spoken to the woman anyway. He could keep it up for a little longer. If only to keep tongues from wagging. Mukuro's tongue, in particular. She'd surely shut up about this nonsense if he showed up and declared he'd had little to do with Shinpi on this trip. Again, the thought didn't particularly appeal to him. The stray idea of jumping from his hidden location and attacking the woman to test her reflexes swam through his brain and he smirked.

 _That's_ how he wanted to be spending his time.

Shinpi took off again and he knew she was headed to her hovel of a home from the path she picked. Finishing his apple he stood up and headed for the temple. Kuwabara had said they'd all gather there this weekend. He could wait two days.

* * *

The temple was already alive with yelling when Shinpi crested the staircase, and it caused a genuine grin to split over her face. Yusuke and Kuwabara were arguing over something, she couldn't tell what, exactly, but their voices filtered through the walls to her and it felt oddly like coming home. What would she ever do if she had to go back to living in perpetual silence again?

But it was soft noise that drew her attention to the side, the mildest tug on her senses and she glimpsed Hiei easily. The grin broadened, her eyes growing bright.

"What?" Hiei demanded, glaring at her as he walked over.

"I'm just happy to see you, it's been a while." She told him without hesitation. "I thought you'd forgotten about me for a minute there."

Hiei faltered a step, eyes widening as a surge of warmth coiled through him. He hadn't felt the feeling of it in over four weeks, how strange for it to return now. It made him cut his eyes to the side to cover that her words had any effect on him.

"Tch." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I hope you haven't been finding trouble for yourself."

"Hiei, you know very well trouble finds me." She teased and started to walk toward him until she was less than an arm's length. "Was you trip alright?"

"Trip?" He pulled his attention back to her.

"Yusuke said you were at Mukuro's this whole time." She tipped her head to the side, dark hair spilling over her shoulder.

"Hn. He needs to stop announcing my movements." Hiei huffed, sinking into his shoulders, running his eyes down Shinpi's form again. "What?"

"You look like something is bothering you." Shinpi told him, her smile fading. "Did something happen while you were over there?"

He stared at her and her concerned expression, then scoffed. "I'm fine."

"Well, I'm glad you're here." She offered him another smile, smaller. "Are you waiting for Kurama?"

"Yes." He told her a little too quickly, because he had actually been waiting for her but he didn't want her to know. "I'm surprised you two didn't arrive together."

And he was, because from his observation they'd grown thick as thieves. He'd even noticed the fox staying the night at Shinpi's house a few times over the last few weeks. The thought tightened the muscles under his shoulders and made him pop his neck.

"We were going to but he said there was something he needed to do and I didn't feel like waiting." She shrugged. "He's going to be a while. You should just come inside."

Hiei didn't respond in any way other than falling into step beside her as she made her way to the temple.

* * *

"Geez Kurama, took you long enough. What were you doing? Braiding your hair?" Yusuke griped as they all stood out on the lawn, his hands on his hips.

"Mother wanted to have a family breakfast." Kurama sighed. "It went longer than expected."

"Momma's boy." The detective teased. "Alright, alright. But I'm done waiting. I want to spar."

Shinpi sat on the steps leading to the front door of the temple and shook her head, smiling. "He's been dying for a free for all since I got here."

"Since _he_ got here." Hiei declared from beside her.

Kurama glanced at them, swept his eyes over Hiei, who stared back, and then turned back to the detective. "Alright, Yusuke. Let me put my bag away."

Hiei flicked his gaze toward Shinpi, who had made no move to leave her spot beside him, and he pulled his brows down as Kurama made a point to walk in the narrow space between them. The feeling that he was being warned about something couldn't be shaken.

"That was weird." Shinpi commented, her eyes following Kurama's movement into the house. "Are you two fighting?"

"We weren't." Hiei took her lead and turned toward the door. Then he glanced back at her again. The door opened and Kurama stepped out.

"Hiei, I'm surprised you came back so soon." That careful drawl earned the fire demon's attention. "It seems like you only just left for Mukuro's. I look forward to fighting you."

Blue eyes fixed on the fox and Shinpi's expression shifted slightly. What the hell was he doing all the sudden? Why was he staring Hiei down? If she didn't know better, she'd say he was challenging the fire demon. And then her expression darkened.

That was the last time she confessed _anything_ to that fucking fox. Goddammit. She should have never said she was bothered by Hiei's absence. It was just like Kurama to try to do something about it.

"Well, Hiei's first fight is mine." Shinpi declared, her eyes locked onto Kurama's as she shifted closer to the fire demon.

Hiei felt like he'd been caught in the middle of a dog fight and he wasn't sure why, or what they were fighting about, but this hadn't started until Kurama saw him next to Shinpi. A suspicion crept into his mind and he fought it back. But that probing green glare was hard to ignore.

"No."

Shinpi jerked her attention to Hiei like he'd snapped his fingers and said her name. "What do you mean, no?"

"I'm not interested in fighting you today. Bother someone else." He got to his feet.

Kurama's lips parted in surprise. Kuwabara sucked in his breath. Yusuke's mouth open. Hiei ignored all of them because Shinpi looked so _conflicted_. Her eyes scanned him, searching for something he was hoping she wouldn't find. He swallowed.

No. He couldn't allow this. He had to plant on his feet now, because if he caved he'd prove Mukuro right. He couldn't let Shinpi make him go back on his words.

"You don't want to fight me?" She retracted the small distance she'd come toward him in her silent dispute with Kurama.

"No. I don't." Hiei stiffened, forcing himself to show nothing. "Maybe later."

She nodded, rolling her lips to wet them and then got to her feet, wiping her hands on her pants. Without another word she walked over to Yusuke and Kuwabara, swinging her hands to clap them.

"What are you doing?" Kurama asked in his most dangerous whisper.

"I don't know." Hiei admitted. "What I need to, I think."

"You're being an ass." Kurama warned him.

"I'm always an ass." Hiei shot back, his temper flaring. "What do you care if I fight her or not?"

"She missed you."

That was not what he'd wanted to hear. Hiei tensed against the words and glowered. "Seems she found the perfect candidate for filling that gap in her life."

Kurama raised his eyebrows at Hiei's pointed accusation and then he smiled. Hiei hated that smile. It was conniving and meant he was about to lose something.

"Have it your way, Hiei." Kurama breezed past him to the grounds where he came to stand beside Shinpi. "Instead of a free for all I propose a two on two battle. You two versus Shinpi and myself."

"No fair." Kuwabara sagged.

"Come now, Kazuma. Show me all that training is paying off." Shinpi chuckled. "It's been too long since we've sparred."

Hiei remained on the porch, itching to fight but stubbornly refusing to join the fray. Kurama's proximity to the woman bothered him. But it could solve his problem. If Shinpi had Kurama close, then Hiei wouldn't have to worry. The fox had a special relationship with the woman. They got along. Shinpi said they understood each other.

That tightness in his back crept up his neck as he tightened his jaw while he watched.

Shinpi spun around Kurama, their bodies moving in time with one another like it was choreographed. Hiei watched them with awe and fascination. Her wind carried Kurama's petals at a higher speed, with more accuracy than Hiei had ever seen them used. Their symmetry left him chafed, their easy combination annoying his sensibilities. Fighting so close to one another meant their scents mingled. He hated it.

For someone who wasn't a team player, Shinpi liked to play with Kurama, didn't she?

And the fox seemed to be rather _territorial_ as of late.

Hiei turned on heel and went into the temple without bothering to see who won. He was greeted immediately by Yukina, who smiled and extended a cup of tea to him. With some trepidation, he accepted her offering and then followed her silent direction for him to follow her into the kitchen.

"You looked like you could use some quiet company." She offered and sank into a chair with her own cup.

Hiei grunted in acceptance and sat down too, sipping the tea without a word. Yukina's presence still put him on edge, but she kept to herself. It allowed him to fall into his thoughts. His gaze trained on the contents of his cup. Why was he so frustrated about this? Kurama's defensiveness irked him. What right did the fox have to be so angry?

Why was he even bothering going through with this? So what if Mukuro had false ideas? He wanted to fight Shinpi. He wanted to be the one watching her back in a brawl against the detective. Was Mukuro's opinion truly so valuable to him?

He grimaced as he admitted to himself that it was important to prove his commander wrong because she was _right_. Maybe he did have a spot of affection for the woman. So what though? Comrades in arms built bonds. It was natural.

It was how he'd gotten sidled with the other three idiots.

"It'll get cold if you don't drink it." Yukina prodded him softly and Hiei looked up from the cup to her eyes. "I'm surprised you aren't out there with the others."

He sat back in his chair and left his cup alone, sighing. "I don't feel like fighting."

"Don't you dare lie to me Hiei, its unbecoming." The admonishment made the fire demon straighten in his chair, eyes darting to this sister. "You want to fight more than anyone else. So why aren't you?"

"You've been hanging out with that woman too long." He accused lightly. "She's rubbing off on you."

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but do not lie. Please." Yukina stared at him.

"Mukuro accused me of harboring affection for Shinpi and warned me that if anyone else saw it, there could be ramifications." Hiei spilled the words almost against his will because what else was he supposed to do when she stared at him like _that_. "I thought it would be better for everyone if such allegations were laid to rest."

"So you're not fighting."

"So I'm not fighting." He nodded.

"I'm sure Mukuro think she has your best interests at heart." Yukina told him, smoothly. "I think it's a shame that her lens is so narrow."

Hiei tilted his head.

"Hichi adores you, you know. And you two would make a good team, if you'd be willing. She'd probably even understand your reservations if you'd just tell her." The ice maiden goes on, sipping her tea as if she weren't scolding him. "And you can stop worrying about Kurama. His relationship to Hichi isn't the same as yours. She's made sure of that."

Hiei wasn't quite sure what to make of that information so he let it slip passed unquestioned. His mind stuck to the point though, that Shinpi was a reasonable being and if he approached her with these facts she'd help him resolve the issue. She had a tactical way about her. Surely she'd be able to come up with some plan, or at least a compromise. Something that allowed him to be on the lawn sparring with her without drawing the misguided attention of every wayward demon in the area.

His thoughts circled back to the mountains and their last case. Fuyuko taunting Shinpi because of her obvious affection for Kuwabara and how the wolf used the oaf to bait her.

Hiei decided it wasn't worth the risk. Even if he did hold a modicum of affection for the woman, allowing it to be known would only bring trouble for them both. Trouble neither of them needed, not with his station and her revenge plot. He'd just have to ignore these feelings and shove them down.

Yukina pressed her lips into a line as if she could guess his thoughts and tutted under breath. It's not too long after that the others came pouring back into the temple, filing through the kitchen in search of water and snacks. Hiei cast a glance down Shinpi's form without bothering to hide it, appreciating the hue of her fresh bruises.

"Looks like they were almost as good a match for you as I am." He meant it to be teasing but his tone came out harder than it should've. "Maybe you don't need me around anymore."

Shinpi shot him a cold look, capped her water bottle and headed for showers. "Get over yourself, Jaganshi."

The fire demon tried not to show his discomfort with the name he now knew put a wall between them. His fist curled against his leg under the table, where it could be hidden and he didn't toss out a reply before the woman disappeared into the hall.

He made up his mind to discuss this matter with her. The twisting in his guts at the use of that name cleared his head like a ringing bell cutting through silence. He didn't want so much space between them that they were strangers, he wasn't sure how he'd even react to such an outlandish scenario.

And, quite frankly, he didn't care to find out.

* * *

Kurama and Shinpi sat in the reading room, sharing the lounge. She leaned against his side as she flipped a page in the book she held, as if the words weren't meaningless lines before her unfocused eyes.

"I don't need you mounting some inane defense of me." She declared quietly and Kurama sighed, long suffering, against her.

"Your tactics aren't working." He told her.

"My tactics accomplish exactly what they are meant to. Leave it be, Kurama. I don't want your help with this."

"You two need to talk."

"No, we don't. Can you even imagine Hiei stomaching a conversation about _feelings_ and how I _missed him_?" She demanded, incredulous. "He doesn't even think of us as friends."

Kurama's expression went over her head because she hadn't bothered to look at him. He had half a mind to just haul her out of the room and toss her into Hiei's lap and tell them to be done with all this nonsense. At the very least they needed to admit to caring for each other, even if it was just in a friendly capacity.

"You're going to turn my hair grey." He muttered instead, going back to his book.

"Was that a threat?" Shinpi asked, and it was with a cocky smile aimed at the yellowed pages of the tome in her hands.

Kurama just sighed because what else was he expected to do.

* * *

It was late. Late enough that Yusuke's snores could be heard radiating from his room like some sort of construction equipment gone on the fritz. Even Kurama had gone to bed. Hiei was nowhere to be found and hadn't been seen since Shinpi called him by _that_ name. Even through dinner the little fire demon had been a ghost and Yusuke made sure to comment on his absence and taunt the trees while the rest of them ate in the garden and utilized the benches Shinpi had made over the course of her stays at the temple.

Even the trellis was almost done and she'd promised she would have a greenhouse underway by the time autumn came.

Despite the hour, Shinpi sat in the kitchen with Yukina and they shared a pot of herbal tea and caught up on the last few weeks they'd been apart. Yukina lets it slip that Kuwabara is outside practicing because he was inspired by the earlier sparring match and he really wanted to hold a candle to his mentor someday.

"He's dedicated." Shinpi smiled warmly.

"That's what I like about him." Yukina agreed readily and they share a moment of fondness for the human man. "I was talking to Hiei earlier, by the way."

"Not you too. I have enough to undo with Kurama's meddling." Shinpi lamented, letting her head fall back on her neck. "Just leave him alone."

"He needs a push." Yukina shrugged lightly. "And not from _Mukuro_."

Blue eyes narrowed at the sound of the name, and then scanned over the ice maiden curiously for the tone it was uttered in. Almost… aggravated. Before she could ask about _why_ , Kuwabara's energy flexed in the yard, far more intensely than his training regimen required. With a sharp bark for Yukina to stay inside, Shinpi fled the temple, skidding to a stop at Kuwabara's side.

He knelt with a grimace that spoke of barely contained pain. His spirit sword lit up the night and cast shadows over his expression.

But his frustration isn't the problem. The demon attacking him earns Shinpi's studious attention, her eyes sweeping him head to toe then back up and it doesn't even take the first microsecond for her to know who and what he is. After all, she'd spent over a day in Makai watching him and his band on the border. Had he followed her here?

Koenma was going to get an earful about this as soon as she was sure Kazuma was safe. She should have never agreed to a hands off intelligence gathering mission. Demons like him only understood one boundary, and it was death.

She'd rectify her mistake tonight.

"No. Let me." Kuwabara found his footing and rose to his full height behind her, earning a neutral stare. "This was my fight."

Shinpi wanted to argue with him, but it would mean admitting to working for Koenma behind everyone's backs and right under their noses. The demon hadn't made her at this point so she was certain her cover was intact. So, begrudgingly, she stepped back and nodded. She'd let Kazuma do as much as he could.

"Keep your guard up." She warned darkly. "I can feel the malice rolling off this one."

While that was true, she also knew for a fact this demon manipulated emotions. He could pull them to the surface and use them against their host. The last thing she wanted was for Kazuma's progress to get stalled because of this.

"Work quickly." She tacked on the urging words and then tensely clasped her hands behind her back.

She'd never been good at this part.

Kazuma rushed the demon, who dodges him a few times. A ball of energy was thrown toward the carrot top but batted away with his sword. He barely got his first in when he seemed struck into stillness by the creature's wizened voice.

"You're just as weak as you think you are. Why bother fighting at all? You'll never compare to them."

Kazuma tried to keep the steel in his eyes, took another step forward before stopping and lowering his sword partially. Shinpi gnashed her teeth together at the sight of his hesitation.

"He's lying!" She yelled the words, hot and angry. "We've discussed this, Kazuma."

"She's lying to you to make you feel better. Because she cares for you. But you don't really deserve all that effort, do you?"

"I-I don't." The light from the spirit sword died in the shadow of his immense self-doubt. Darkness engulfed the scene, and all the beings in it. Kuwabara's voice came out lost and tired. "I really don't."

A ball of energy that should have killed him rolled off the curved surface of Shinpi's energy barrier, her body stationed in front of his. Without looking at her pupil she snarled at the demon before them.

"Do not insult me by calling me a liar again, Kazuma." Her voice lashed like the sudden wind surrounding them.

"I didn't-"

"I told you that you were worth my time. I told you that you were strong. Denying these facts is the same as calling me a liar." She lowered the hand she'd raised to protect him. "You're better than this, Kazuma. You need to start believing in that yourself instead of relying on other people to hold you aloft."

He wanted to believe her, he tried, but the words sounded like lies. He whimpered and tucked his head down, berating himself for falling for such a stupid trick, for disappointing her. It wasn't until her quiet, yet forceful _enough_ cut through the night that he stopped. His raised head turned the demon's attention on the woman herself.

"Look at you. So prideful, so sure of your strength. You could never fall prey to such petty tricks. You'd like for them all to believe you have an iron-grip on your emotions, but you don't. You're nothing more than a roiling mass of pain and doubt yourself, you merely display it differently." That cracking voice accused joyfully.

"You cannot tell me what I don't know." Shinpi warned darkly. "I live in this miasma every day. There are no surprises for me here."

"Rage." His eyes glimmered through the darkness. "So much rage, but it's not directed outward. You direct that fire inwards, toward yourself. I wonder what would happen if we examined that further."

The sudden, blood-heating _fury_ that swallowed her whole mingled with a sickening sense of turmoil. It cut through her logic and her defenses. It chewed its way to the surface through every barricade she'd erected over the last twenty-some-odd years. But even as it threatened to spill out she remembered Kazuma was so close behind her. She would not allow her ineptitude to bring him to harm.

"Give in." The demand came with another wave that consumed her sense of self-control.

"No." Shinpi hissed, doubling over as the weight of years of careful repression came undone. "Kazuma, run."

"You're okay!" He ran to her instead of away, throwing his arms around her. "Breathe, Hichi. It'll be o-"

"NO!" She shoved him back, cradling her head in her hands and digging her nails into her scalp. The pain of it grounded her, gave her something tangible to focus on for a second and the cloud lifted.

"Sheer stubbornness cannot save you."

Shinpi screamed as the pain of trying to contain her energy hit her full force. It was like holding a broken dam together with her bare hands, praying the water didn't rush out. But she couldn't seal the cracks the demon had made. Wind rippled around her, her frustration with the situation mounting into rage. The whips of air grew sharp, cutting through the underbrush and bushes around her as she gripped herself around the middle with another cry, this one wrathful and agonized.

Focus left her, the draw of her power too great to fight anymore. It was her own fault, she decided somewhere in the back of her mind, for not addressing this threat sooner. Her fear of exposure what made this possible. The small bursts she'd been using with the team hadn't been enough and her outpouring after Sachiko had merely set the stage for this cataclysm. Even as she had them, she knew the thoughts were not her own.

She wasn't alone and this could've been avoided if _that bastard_ hadn't done this to her.

Feral instincts began to rise, a concerning call to behaviors she'd never been fond of allowing. Even at her worst she had tried to maintain some modicum of self-control. Only thrice before had she so thoroughly given into her anger.

The demon didn't know what hit him, her hand slashing suddenly through the air in a claw, the wind under her control slicing through him. Blood splattered against the bark of the tree behind him and she could smell it so clearly it could've been a taste rolling on her tongue. Wetting her lips she heaved her chest, senses too sharp and mind too numb.

Kuwabara scurried away from her backwards on all fours, clearly aware he was outmatched and facing something no longer quite human. She assessed him with a dark blue stare that lacked familiarity or concern. It felt decidedly the way Kurama's reversion had during the dark tournament and the carrot top wondered how she managed to revert without actually changing. On the surface she still looked like Iruni, dark hair and blue eyes. But her energy had shifted to something more chaotic.

"Leave." She told him coldly. "Before you get hurt."

He relaxed some then, understanding the words were not a threat but a warning. She wanted him safe. That meant Hichi was still in there, somewhere, despite this radical outpouring of her power that seemed reminiscent of a natural disaster brewing.

"Go, Kazuma."

But that cool, soft voice wasn't familiar to him. He swallowed and nodded, scrambling to his feet and nearly colliding directly with Hiei as the other demon skidded to a stop.

"What the hell happened?" Hiei demanded, flicking his attention between the woman and Kuwabara.

"I dunno man. One minute she's fighting, the next I'm kicked through the air and she's screaming and the guy is talking about her power. And all the sudden she's cutting people in half without even touching them." Kuwabara rushed through the explanation, stumbling over some of the words. "She told me to leave."

"And you were just going to listen?" Hiei growled. "Remember what could happen if she loses control, idiot! The SDF is just waiting for a reason to-"

Kuwabara's eyes widened and it was too late by the time they did. Shinpi had already appeared to Hiei's right side, her fist hitting him with so much force he went hurtling through the air until a tree stopped him. She walked over the fire demon slowly, looking nonplussed about her actions. Hiei grunted, getting back to his feet just before her hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him to his toes.

"This is what you wanted from me." She told him, darkness in her voice and eyes. "My power. Well, darling, this is my gift to you. I hope you're ready to receive it."

She slammed her knee into his stomach and then twisted, landing her other knee across his cheek bone. Hiei hit the ground on all fours, spitting blood. He barely managed to roll before she dropped a kick where he'd been kneeling, a small crater forming under the heel of her foot.

"Go!" Hiei yelled at Kuwabara. "I'll handle this."

"I'll get Genkai!" Kuwabara shouted back.

"No! I said I'll handle it! Just stop distracting me!" Hiei growled the statement, getting to his feet. Kuwabara hesitated, glanced at Shinpi as her aura flickered unbridled around her, then ran. "Those first shots were freebies, Shinpi. Don't think you've gotten the upper hand."

She stalked around him, unbothered by his bravado. "Come and get your present, Hiei."

"With pleasure."

He launched himself at her and they connected in a barrage of fists and legs. Spinning around him, she broke the attack and swung her leg above and downward in an arch. Hiei jumped back from the flux of energy, surprised still by the cut of wind that bit into his arms and made him bleed just under his eye. If he'd been slower to block she'd have taken off his head. Panting, he stared at her.

Was this really her true power?

Was he finally getting to meet the Tempest Princess? As she came at him again, and again, and again, he couldn't help but hope. And yet, there was something off about her attacks. He didn't think he was actually milking her power for all its worth, not truly.

Which should have terrified him because she was clearly his equal in this moment. He fled through the trees.

"I've always enjoyed chasing my prey." Shinpi's voice tickled his ear and he threw himself to the side, kicking off a tree to flip through the air.

Her wind attacks cut through the trees and left gashes on his arms and legs. Hiei didn't have a defense against them except running, which she never let him do for too long. Her kicks and punches rattled his bones. When he came at her, she accepted his blows without flinching or showing any sign of pain, her blocks precise as if she could read his movements before he even knew to make them. She evaded him countless times. Her lithe body swooping under his arms and around him, every ounce of her dancer's grace coming into play.

A monster. He was facing down a beautiful monster and it thrilled him as much as it sent sirens screaming through his brain.

The excitement of it drove him to push harder and see what he could get her to do. Would she kill him? He doubted it. But she'd obviously maim him. He wanted to push her fury as far as he could. He wanted to roll its taste on his tongue.

But when he went to strike her, she slid her left hand up his right arm, fingers dancing over his bandages and stirring the dragon underneath while her right hand skimmed his bandana. Hiei jerked back, landing several yards away to assess her.

She stared at him, blinking, and lowered her now empty hands while Hiei quieted those screaming alarms in his head. Dipping her chin down she peered over the distance at him, making no move to approach. That stare was the most unnerving he'd ever seen from her. Full on predatory glint shining in her dark eyes, but no smile lifting her lips.

"Are you frightened?" She asked him quietly, squinting slightly while she waited for his answer.

"You're slowing down."

"Am I?"

"You were herding me away from the temple. You obviously have more presence of mind than I anticipated."

"Hoping for an uneven fight?"

"Yes."

"In whose favor?"

"Yours."

Shinpi glanced over him then, seeing something new. He wished he knew what it was. Desperately, he wanted to open the Jagan and peer inside her head, understand what had happened and where this had all come from. But with the adrenaline in his veins and her touch still agitating the dragon, he didn't think it best to use his third eye. He could hardly contain himself in this moment, much less an ancient force of pure power. And she'd done her best to bait the beast with her spark of energy. If this had happened back when the dragon was new to him, she'd have called it out without his permission. They'd have both died.

Something he had no doubt she knew well enough.

"You seem to have conceded our fight. I suppose that means I win." Shinpi gestured to him lightly. "And here we didn't even get to use our weapons. I'm disappointed."

"We'll call the first round yours. Second will be mine." Hiei assured her, wetting his lips as he stalked forward.

"Second? Does that mean you're ready to give me your all?" She asked him quietly, the darkness in her eyes glinting under a veneer of playfulness.

He came at her suddenly, pushing her back with his battery of strikes. She had to work to keep up. Ducking and dancing around each other again, she seemed to have lost her sure footing. With a grunt she hit a tree, sliding down the trunk a few inches with a wince.

Hiei wound one of his hands in her hair near the roots at the base of her skull, taking control of her head, even as her fingers clawed into fists in his shirt, creating tears and holes. Growling deeply, he looked down into her eyes. "That's one you, one me."

"Tie breaker." She demanded and he nodded, but didn't release her.

Using her hair as a point of control, Hiei forced her to look up at him. And she seemed furious to comply, no doubt hating exposing her neck to him with that proud wolf spirit of hers. But what he saw in her eyes was similar to what he must've showing too. Blown pupils, parted lips in a slight snarl, a dark need radiating from her expression that was mostly bloodlust but something else too. His senses narrowed on the woman in his grasp, whatever higher intelligence he'd held fleeing leaving on his baser instincts behind.

"Goddammit woman, you're intoxicating when you want to kill me." He crushed his body against hers, his mouth claiming hers in a searing press of lips that turned into a connection of teeth and tongues.

Shinpi's hands unraveled from his shirt, her hips shifting against his and producing a throaty moan from him, her fingers finding new homes on the back of his neck and arm. Hiei took her right arm in his left hand and pinned it above her head against the tree, earning himself a warning growl. Dragging his teeth over her bottom lip cut the aggressive sound short, a mewl taking its place. He could barely contain himself at the sound, every animalistic desire in him crying for release. And from the way she ground against him, he wasn't the only one writhing in desperation.

"Hiei." She said his name in such a way it lit a fire in him. He started to kiss and bite his way down her neck, pride swallowing him whole when she allowed him access without hesitation. The hand that had been in her hair moved to hold her waist. Softer, more pleadingly she called him again. "Hiei."

"Say it again." Hiei lifted his lips from her skin to speak the demand against her ear. "I like hearing you moan my name."

He felt her weight sag suddenly. Startled, he adjusted himself to catch her as she slipped down the trunk, keeping her upright as her head rolled forward, eyes closed.

Unconscious.

He let his own head fall back as he swore, frustration ringing through every denied nerve ending in his body. Mentally swearing in strings that would have made the detective blush, Hiei slid one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees, lifting her easily. He doubted she was seriously injured. It was more likely that whatever her earlier opponent had done to her had finally worn off, leaving her exhausted.

That knowledge did nothing to quell the fire that had been stoked to life in his veins. It didn't matter. He'd finish what he'd started when she awoke.

He could contain himself until then.

* * *

Shinpi had barely sat up in her bed, cradling her head with one hand, when her sword was thrown onto her lap. With cotton muddling her thoughts, she slowly moved to regard Hiei was stood beside her with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes raked down her and she couldn't quite interpret why there was so much heat in his expression. If she didn't know better, he was waiting for something she wasn't ready to give. Lowering her hand to caress the red sheath she regarded the man who'd apparently been waiting for her to wake up.

"My sword?" Shinpi eyed the weapon with confusion. "Why?"

"You beat me last night during your little episode. It was without a doubt one of the best fights we've ever had." Hiei blinked, a scowl steadily marring his previously amused expression when she frowned. "Why do you look confused?"

"I just, I wish I remembered such a feat." She wrinkled her nose and then held the sword back out to him. "You should take this back. If I beat you I want to be conscious of it. Plus I still feel the sword is better off with you at the moment."

"You don't remember?" Hiei let his arms fall to his sides, not wanting to take that sword from her fingers. She stared at him and then to the weapon pointedly. He pressed his lips into a line, accepting it.

"I don't remember anything, really, after killing the demon." Shinpi shook her head, frowning. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Nothing. You remember nothing?" He pressed, imploring _something_ to come back to her.

"No. Nothing. Why? What have I done now?" She frowned too, concerned.

Having dead spots in her memory wasn't something she could afford. One misstep and she'd find herself back in irons, Matsuma swinging an axe at her neck. Did Spirit World execute through beheading? She couldn't recall. Goddamn this headache. She hated this. It reminded her of some particularly empty memories before her death. Trying to ignore her own inner musings, she watched Hiei with concern for his silence.

Hiei opened his mouth to remind her of their heated kiss. To tell her that the scratches on his neck, chest and arms were from hers nails as they pressed together. Inform her that she had said his name in such a way he thought he might come undone.

But all that managed to come passed his lips was, "Nothing."

Because he wasn't even sure why he wanted her to remember. It had been a passionate moment, sure, but what good would have come from it? The fire in his veins raged against this denial. Every fiber of his being protested. He needed to shake off this feeling.

Shinpi didn't need distractions right now. She needed to find a way to unlock the power he'd seen last night whenever the whim struck her. Hiro would surely stand no chance against her then. Maybe after…

It confused him suddenly, that he cared so much about it. That he was willing to plan so far ahead for a chance with her. It made no sense. Maybe whatever had taken control of Shinpi's brain the night before had left its mark on him too. Something that drove down inhibitions and brought things to the surface that didn't need to exist. He held onto that reasoning to beat back the pang of heat that struck him when Shinpi stretched her arms over her head, tipping her head to the side to pop her neck.

He stalked from her room with her sword in tow, the weapon feeling more and more like a burden every minute it remained strapped to his side.


	29. Purging the System

**A/N: Yo. So, as the year comes to its end so does my experiment with twice weekly posting. Y'all it's been fun, but I cannot do it. I had a lot of energy at the beginning of the month and a good bit of outline done, but it's all catching up to me. I'm tired.**

 **So, I'm going back to posting on Sundays exclusively! I think that's a good day. If you guys have a preference for a different day, I'd love to hear it.**

 **I also want to thank you guys for reaching to me and for your kind reviews last chapter. I'm still in a not-so-great headspace, but I love you all. I'm not so easily beaten but man am I tired.**

* * *

"Shinpi said she has other plans, so maybe she'll be able to join you next time. It seemed to be that she was also annoyed that you waited until the last minute. Maybe ask her ahead of time, if you can."

Hiei kept his face carefully neutral as Kurama delivered the news to him. His hands in his pockets, he tilted his face away from the fox and huffed, trying his best to appear bored.

"If it's a tracker you need I'd be more than happy to lend a hand." Kurama went on to offer, smiling at his friend. "We haven't been spending much time together lately. It'd be nice."

"I'll be fine on my own." Hiei shut him down, glaring to the side. "I thought Shinpi's mind might help me resolve the case, but it's fine. I'll figure it out."

"Again, I could go with you."

"I don't need _your_ help." Hiei turned and then he was gone, leaving Kurama to stare at the empty spot he had occupied.

Honestly. Kurama rolled his eyes. "You should have gone to ask yourself then."

He received no response, not that he'd expected to. Hiei had been mostly a memory the last few weeks. After his appearance at the temple they hadn't really heard from him again until he asked Kurama to ask Shinpi to go on a mission with him. The fact he didn't approach the woman himself was enough of tip that Kurama just had to slap his palm against his own face. These two were seriously going to be the death of him.

Between Shinpi's refusal to accept his help and her insistence that the status quo could continue and Hiei's awkward inability to address anything remotely _emotional_ they were trapped in this strange stalemate. Hiei refused to approach the woman, despite it being obvious he desperately wanted to and Shinpi refused to go to him because she was certain it spelled doom for their 'budding friendship'.

He did wonder, though, what she had to do that was so pressing she couldn't postpone to accept Hiei's call. It wasn't like her to turn any of them down when they asked for her assistance. He wrinkled his nose and set about making his way home.

The truth would come out sooner or later.

* * *

"Good job." Koenma smiled at her as Shinpi stood across from him on the other side of his desk.

"You should have let me handle them my way to start with." She frowned, eyes narrowed. "If I had been able to eliminate them then Kazuma would have never been caught up in this."

"He's a strong man, he'll be fine."

"His mentality is fragile. He needs support and success to build up his confidence. Being overcome by such an underpowered enemy, despite the circumstances, did more harm than good." She gently splayed her hands over the top of the demi-god's desk despite wanting to crack the flimsy wood in half, leaning forward so she could glare at him. "I will not tolerate you using him to your advantage and I will not stand for him coming to harm for your ineptitude."

"You sound like a real mentor, you know." Koenma leaned back in his chair to get away from her cold expression. He plastered on a fake smile. "I'm really glad you two are getting along."

She quirked an eyebrow and tipped her head, eying the folder with her name on the label that sat on his desk. She sneered and turned away. "He's not one of your child soldiers anymore, Koenma."

"No, I suppose these days he's one of yours." The prince declared with some of his own coolness.

Her eyes strayed to the folder again when she whirled around.

"I didn't mean to insult you. I meant that he's your responsibility now. I understand that you take your role seriously." Koenma slid a short stack of papers over the manila file to hide it from view. "We'll collaborate more closely from now on, Amon-Shinpi."

"See to it that we do. And while you're at it, send Kuwabara a case from the list I approved. He needs a win." She nodded and made her way for the door, then paused again, her back to him. "Did you ever look into the matter of my reincarnation, Koenma?"

"I'm getting to it." He kept his voice firm. "I'll let you know what turns up."

He didn't see her narrowed eyes or the suspicion that flashed across her face before she strode out of his office and around the glaring mass that was Matsuma, who posted himself just outside the door whenever she was visiting. Casting a glance down him she rolled her eyes and walked away.

He had yet to speak to her since she'd berated him for talking so disrespectfully to Hiei. It almost made her proud. Now off to Genkai's and then finally home for some rest.

* * *

Shinpi studied the terry cloth wristband on her left arm as she slowly twirled her glass with her fingers. This bar was a dangerous place to find herself distracted, especially as she was. Yet, distracted she found herself. Hiei had been avoiding her for weeks, why would he have suddenly asked for her help?

Maybe she should have gone with him.

Gods knew she'd wanted to.

The timing was just too unfortunate. There was no way for her to be in two places at once and right now Koenma's cases took priority over Hiei's requests. It wasn't what she wanted but it was what it was. Her lips tingled when she hoisted the glass to them, throwing back a harsh throat full of Makai approved grain alcohol. The stuff could peel paint from the walls and honestly, it might've been poisonous in this body. Not that she noticed any effects.

The chair to her left slid out and became occupied, and in her periphery she caught sight of untamed blonde curls and a hand bearing chipped nail polish as it laid on the bar top.

"I'll have what she's having." That shaky voice asked the bartender, who grunted something in a language neither of them rightfully understood. In a lower tone she directed her next words to Shinpi. "You've been rather preoccupied, Mikamoto."

"Indeed." Shinpi agreed, keeping her eyes trained forward. "It's as you warned me."

"I can't get you out of this."

"I don't want out. If anything, I want in deeper. I haven't gotten what I'm after yet."

The conversation stilled as the bartender slid the blonde a dirty glass of what could have been water over ice if it weren't for the pungent smell. Once he finished assessing the two women and moved on the blonde spoke again.

"It's dangerous to receive so much attention from Spirit World, Mikamoto."

"When have you ever known me to shy away from danger, Shikari?" Shinpi took another thoughtful sip of her drink, grimacing at the horrid taste. "This stuff is awful."

"It's not made for humans."

Shinpi nodded, her eyes sliding to the wristband again. Perhaps it was a silly move on her part, to bind her powers. But it fed into the idea she was merely a mortal caught up in the whirlwind of Spirit World's greed. Yukina had been right, those weeks before. Her power did bring unwanted attention. Plus, she'd been relying fairly heavily on it.

It was time to go back to the basics.

Thus, the bind she freely wore. She'd had Genkai fashion it for her but Shinpi alone could remove the restricting garment. And she would, once she was certain she had remastered her techniques. She would push her body to its limits in order to surpass them.

Shikari tutted beside her, and even without looking Shinpi knew those wild eyes were scanning the bar in a mixture of distaste and uncertainty. Such was the heart of prey animals.

"Why have they been so attentive to you?" The question was vague enough to ward off prying ears but Shinpi didn't need specifics.

"Because I have knowledge no one else does. The same reason you were drawn to me." She allowed. "I'm making a name for myself as a demonologist, it seems. A worthwhile profession."

"Dangerous." Shikari all but hissed.

"What do you care if I get myself killed? Afraid I won't be able to gather your information anymore?" Shinpi smirked and did nothing to hide it. "You can relax. They have my relic, not yours."

"How can you be certain?"

"The Jaganshi carries the sword." Shinpi explained simply. "I've seen him touch the blade."

Shikari stiffened beside her before swearing. That arrogant smirk remained in place on the other woman's face. Sure, she was spinning falsehoods as facts but she didn't care. Hiei _was_ carrying the sword and she _had_ seen him touch the blade, if it was only once against her own advice.

Where was Hiei? She hadn't seen him weeks, hadn't heard from him since he'd requested her help on that mission. Had he gone back to Mukuro's as Yusuke had suggested? Or was he simply not interested in her company now?

She sort of missed the bastard.

With that bit of work out of the way, Shinpi pushed back from the bar and tossed a few bills next to her still mostly full glass. She paused, and Shikari slid a small white packet her way. Those pursed lips told her that the item hadn't been easy to acquire.

"You should be careful around those men. They're nothing but harbingers." Shikari squinted at the liquor shelves behind the bar.

"I can handle myself. Stay well." Shinpi waved over her shoulder, sliding the packet into the pocket of her light jacket with practiced sleight of hand.

All at once her nape prickled and she would have known the weight of that gaze anywhere, even before she turned around to find Hiei situating himself at the end of the bar. He didn't even glance her way but she knew he'd been staring at her back. Shikari tensed, tossed back her drink and left through the back. Not at all suspicious. Shinpi frowned, then walked over to Hiei's side without bothering to take a seat.

Had he been in this world this whole time? Or was this a coincidence? Had he wanted her to notice him? Had he been following her? What had he seen? Why hadn't she noticed him before?

"Those will get you killed." He drawled, shoot her a dark glare before flicking his gaze to her wrists. Then he made a sharply disapproving sound and jerked his attention toward the bartender as a shot glass of gold liquid was set before him.

Without a word she grabbed the shot. When he turned to yell at her, she held his gaze before downing it slowly.

"It's still illegal to kill humans, even in demon bars, is it not General of Alaric?"

The bartender stiffened and flashed a glance between her and Hiei.

"You should pour your drinks yourself. You're not a well-loved man." Shinpi warned the fire demon before marching for the door, feeling his eyes boring into her back the entire time.

She barely made it a half block before she began to wretch into a trashcan on the street, sweat catching the summer night air and sending shivers over her skin. Her vision swam but she fought through it. A little demon liquor was no problem. Poison?

Even she had her limits.

Her fingers fumbled in her pocket for her communication mirror as she started to walk again. Kurama's face appeared on screen, his mild confusion draining to concern immediately.

"I'm going to need your expertise. My place. As soon as possible." She told him and he nodded earnestly. "Try not to fuss."

"I'm on my way." He assured her, and the connection severed.

Shinpi swayed, splaying her fingers wide against a brick wall. Why had she taken that shot for Hiei? His body would be far more repellent to poisons than hers. But he hadn't been paying attention. Pushing all that aside she felt herself growing frustrated with the man. Why had he chosen then to appear? And why the hell hadn't he bothered coming to see her? He was the one who'd gotten pissy about her not being tethered to him. He's the one who had assured her it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of him.

Well, if he didn't want to see her, then fine. He didn't have to see her. She certainly wouldn't go looking for him.

Her fight against the toxins trying to escape her system ended abruptly and she listed to the side to vomit in an alley.

* * *

Kurama blinked as he came into his bedroom after a rather long night tending to Shinpi only to find Hiei waiting for him on his bed. The fire demon rested with one leg up, arms propped on that knee, his eyes closed. But the fox didn't mistake the pose for idleness. A deep scowl was etched ono the other man's face, one eyebrow ticking just slightly in barely contained annoyance.

"And where the hell have you been?" Hiei demanded quietly, peeling his eyes open to cut his gaze to the redhead.

"One could ask the same of you. When was the last time we saw each other? Two weeks ago when you demanded Shinpi's help but denied mine?" Kurama asked coolly, setting his backpack on the floor. "I'm surprised to find you here."

Hiei huffed, looking away. "It's not like you to be bothered by such things."

"If you had told her that you specifically wanted to spend time with _her_ I'm sure she would have made the necessary arrangements." Kurama told him.

Instead of snarking back, Hiei just retracted his arms from his leg and moved to sitting cross-legged on the comforter. "I came to," he winced, "ask your advice on that subject, actually."

Those probing green eyes widened, then blinked, then stared. Hiei hated it, but he needed Kurama's expertise right now and if he didn't deal with a little needling he'd never get the answers he was after. Of all the people in his life, Kurama was probably the only one who could help sort out all these annoying, confusing thoughts he'd been having.

"I was… _disappointed_ when Shinpi didn't have time to work with me." Hiei admitted, and it pained him to do so. "The rest of you fit into her life seamlessly and I'm… I'm annoyed about it."

There was a pause and it felt like judgement so Hiei surged onward, mentally grasping at any thoughts that might make this easier.

"I told Shinpi it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of me, but it's been _difficult_ to make excuses to go see her."

"Why do you need excuses?" Kurama tipped his head to the side, claiming his desk chair.

Hiei just shot him a dull glare. "I can't very well just show up for no reason, can I?"

"Why not? Yusuke does it all the time. Shinpi herself has dropped by here on more than one occasion unannounced, merely to hang out." Kurama waved a hand in the air. "You're over thinking this."

"I'm not." Hiei argued. "I need to have a valid reason to see her."

"Hiei." Kurama sighed, rubbing his temples. "Wanting to see her is the only reason she'll need you to give. In fact, it may be the best thing you could tell her."

The fire demon sneered and turned his attention to the window. "Is she alright? You were taking care of her after she got herself poisoned last night."

"And how would you know that?" Kurama smiled, amused. "Hiei, have you been watching her?"

No answer other than the slight slouch of Hiei's shoulders and a guilt glance in the fox's direction. And then, quietly, the admittance. "Her nightmares get worse when she's stressed. With her on her own I've been checking into make sure she's coping. On night's when you aren't around."

"I'll keep your secret, Hiei. Although, if you were to be a little more forward with your concern she might be understanding."

"She hates being looked after. I just don't want her to be caught alone. Especially with those damn binds on." Hiei sighed, put out. "She's so annoying. Why does she get to be so stubborn? Who does she think she is? All of that training and now she doesn't even want to use her energy but still won't accept help. It's a damn joke."

"You're worried about her." Kurama supplied and watched his friend's cheeks turn red. "Hiei, it's alright to admit you care for someone, you know."

Instead of an outright denial Hiei just glared at the window. Kurama supposed that was progress in its own way.

* * *

"A demon?" Shinpi crouched in front of the child, one from her neighborhood, blinking. "What did he look like?"

"He had evil red eyes and really tall hair and he was very scary!" The description burst from the child's puffy cheeks as if he couldn't contain them. "And when he looked at me I thought I was going to _die_."

Now, now. Wasn't that interesting. Shinpi nodded while offering a thoughtful hum.

"He was looking for you I'm sure of it." The little boy told her, fists clenched. "But I wasn't scared, I swear!"

"I think I know that demon." Shinpi nodded and then cut a devious glance at the child, grinning. "He's very dangerous."

"He is?" The boy balked, and his sister ducked behind him.

"Oh yes. You should stay far away from him." She nodded, tapping her chin then closing one eye as she went on. "He comes into your house and forces you to eat all the vegetables you refused at dinner. Last night I threw away my carrots and he came in and made me eat a whole plateful. It was awful."

"Oh no!" Both children wailed. "What do we do Miss Mikamoto?"

"Well, if you see him again you say, 'I ate all my greens Hiei-sama!' and then you bow." Shinpi told him with that spark still in her eyes. "And if he says anything to you just say 'We are protected by the mighty Takani-sama!'. He'll know what it means."

"Who is Takani-sama?" The little girl asked.

"Unimportant." She waved a hand through the air rising to her full height. "Trust me, it'll work. He'll go away."

It was fairly late that night when Shinpi lifted her eyes from her notebook, setting her pen back in its holder with its brethren as her bedroom window opened. A bag appeared first, cast a bit carelessly onto her desktop and then a dark head followed as Hiei uncoiled from the shadows. He glared at her with a scowl as she went about setting out the food he'd brought.

"I've been accused of a lot of things." Hiei started coldly. "Force feeding someone vegetables is a new one."

"I couldn't tell them tell them you're a murdering bandit. Their family is descended from Shinto priests." She cracked her chopsticks to separate them before prying open a container only to frown. "You're a bastard, you know that?"

Hiei smirked at her and plucked one of the carrots from the container and popped it into his mouth. "I don't know what you mean."

Shinpi rolled her eyes and begrudgingly started eating the extra helping of carrots out of sheer spite. Her eyebrow ticked the whole time she chewed. Hiei's smirk only grew.

"Are you done being angry with me?" She asked after a few minutes passed of him sitting cross-legged on her desk eating from the same container she did.

"No." Hiei huffed.

"So why are you here then?" Her eyes moved to the side, noting his gaze had turned from her face. Without a glance at him she took the notebook and rested her arm on it pointedly. Hiei narrowed his eyes. "Coming to say your goodbyes? Yusuke said he thought you'd gone to Mukuro's already now that you aren't _trapped_ here."

"I don't say goodbye." Hiei told her firmly. "It's a useless human sentiment."

"Understood." She nodded and dropped the conversation, turning carefully reserved.

Hiei let that stand for several minutes until she finished her carrots. He'd been sure to ask for extra. Once the last orange circle was gone he opened the next carton, revealing dumplings and another full of rice.

"No dessert?" She asked him.

"What have you done to deserve sweets?" He demanded lightly. She shot him a look that he hoped was the beginning of an argument but all it did was birth a sigh from her lungs as she nodded.

Was this it? Their new dynamic? Silence and guarded expression? Back to the beginning, as if the last several months hadn't happened at all? The idea unsettled him further. He tried to dismiss it but the nagging sensation made him sneer to the side.

"Which one of them was it?" Shinpi's question earned his attention, the sweep of his eyes over her spoke of an unasked question. "Which one of them forced you to come?"

He wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes, drawing one knee up to rest his forearm on. "No one. I came on my own."

"I find that hard to believe." She pushed away from the desk and took her notebook with her, placing it on her bookshelf. "I didn't take you for a man who cared about keeping up appearances."

"I don't."

She didn't look at him, her eyes scanning over her books. "Well, I have enough on my mind without your obvious hatred of me."

Her fingers plucked a book from the shelf and she took it with her to her bed, cracking it open while she settled down onto the comforter, her shoulders against her headboard. Hiei watched her, her distraction allowing him to steal an appraising look at her exposed legs. She was in shorts again, short enough they barely peeked from under her baggy shirt.

"I don't hate you."

She didn't respond to his admission and that irritated him. He might as well not have come if she was going to be this way. What right did she have to angry anyway? He was the one who'd been betrayed. She did this, not him. She said she wanted to be alone. What was he supposed to do? Celebrate?

"Are you going to finish eating?" Hiei demanded, gesturing to the food.

"You don't need to bother with these gregarious acts, Hiei. I've told you before that they confuse me." She told him coolly. "Whatever this is, I don't need or want it. I have enough pain without you adding to it."

He stiffened. "This isn't an act."

How the hell was he causing her _pain_? Did his presence bother her that much?

She looked up from her book but not toward him. It was as if she weren't seeing anything at all. Then, she crumbled slightly and went back to staring at the meaningless words on the page. "You've been making it increasingly clear that if I'm not fighting with you I don't hold value. I fail to see what you'd get out of being here."

"I never said that." Hiei remained in place, staring at her. "You're making up wild scenarios."

"I heard you tell Genkai you were only upset about this change because it meant you wouldn't be able to use me for training as often." Shinpi spoke quietly. "And you told Yusuke that there was no point in you enduring my company any more than you had to."

Hiei's eyes widened.

"My time in this world has softened me." She went on just as quietly. "I've been misreading so much about our interactions. It snuck up on me. I thought my vision was clear. I suppose, maybe, I just wanted it to be true."

She collapsed in on her as he watched, and it startled him. Something cold seized his intestines.

"Rivals." She breathed the word like she was saying it for the first time and her confusion showed on her face before everything just… _disappeared_.

Her energy, her spark, her expression. It all faded to nothing and Hiei was left staring at a phantom.

"I'm tired." The words seemed like a thought that passed her lips on accident but it rang so clearly true he couldn't stand it.

He was gone in the next instant, leaving the window open behind him as he disappeared.

* * *

"What fresh hell is this?" Hiei demanded, glaring at Yusuke as the man pried himself off the floor, spilling the contents of his glass as he came up.

"I asked Keiko to marry me." Yusuke swallowed thickly then drank deeply from his glass. "She said no."

"Why?" Hiei demanded. "Surely she's as tired of your relentless whining as the rest of us."

"Because of the babies."

Hiei paled. "You got her pregnant?"

"What? No. Psh. Future babies. She said if they turned out like me it would be scary. But if they didn't it would be scary. And not having babies isn't in the cards." Yusuke filled up his glass with a shaky hand to the point that Hiei took it from him. The fire demon helped himself to a cup of the swill.

"Weak children would be a burden." He noted to the detective who huffed.

"Who cares about weak kids? They'd be _my_ kids. I'd keep 'em safe." Yusuke thumbed toward himself. "If you ever think of proposing, don't. It's awful."

"I can't even make it through a meal with a woman, so I'm sure that won't be a problem." Hiei swallowed his entire portion of alcohol before helping himself to another pour. "Shinpi thinks I hate her."

"That's bullshit." Yusuke grumped. "Total bullshit."

"It _is_ bullshit." Hiei nodded. "I took Kurama's advice and it didn't go to plan."

"Psh. What does fox boy know? Other than like, everything." Yusuke choked when he tried to swallow and Hiei absently struck him on the back a few times.

"It's unfortunate your woman said no." Hiei told him. "She'll come around."

"Thanks man."

They drank in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry for bustin' your balls, by the way." Yusuke leaned into Hiei, his arm thrown over the other man's shoulders.

"About what this time?" Hiei snorted, amused. "You're always on me about something."

"'Bout Shinpi. Y'know. Back toward the beginning when we went for coffee. I shoulda trusted you. You were just trying to make her see you were safe. You're just really fucking bad at it."

Hiei glanced at the detective's face, sipping his drink. "When did you figure that out?"

"I've been thinkin' a lot 'bout it. It just, wasn't like you, y'know? And I wanted to know why. I know why." Yusuke pointed to a picture on the wall of him and Keiko when they were younger. "She was weaker than you but had a shitload of potential and you were doing your best to bring it out, right? But she's stubborn and out thinks you and so you thought, hey, if I take the dominant role she _has_ to listen to me. She _has_ to trust my judgement. And it would have worked if it wasn't _Shinpi_ because _of course_."

"You think Shinpi and Keiko are alike?" Hiei frowned, studying the photograph.

"I think we both like women stronger than us and we get confused when we're the ones kept in line." Yusuke snickered. "You like it when she's bossy, right?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "I like it when Shinpi is _herself_."

"She told Kurama, back then by the way, not to talk to you about it all. She said she knew what you were up to and it was your version of _trying_." Yusuke grinned like an idiot. "Ah, man. I'd like to see you as whipped as I am."

"Never going to happen. That's not how it is with us. We're rivals." Hiei pumped the breaks on that line of thinking. "Besides, I think Kurama has designs on her."

"Psh. Fuck Kurama." Yusuke gave a considerate pause. "Well, y'know what I mean. Fox boy ain't got nothing you don't. And she said he was like a _brother_ anyway."

"Did you know she made me submit to her before I even knew she was a wolf?" Hiei turned to Yusuke and offered a sly grin. "She's such a bitch. Tried to take my head off with an axe, had my lying on the ground, neck expose and then she just…" his eyes lost focus as the detective watched, his mind going back to the moment, "She dropped down over me because she thought we were being watched. Nothing but fighting and arguing and her being a stubborn idiot and the _minute_ she thought we were in danger she went to protect _me._ "

There was a tinge of warmth in his voice, a strange awe as if he didn't even realize he could idolize someone for such a feat.

"Back at the Gates of Betrayal I thought I'd seen the peak of sheer idiocy born of optimism. Trusting me was unfathomable. And then Shinpi walked into my life and it's like, everything I thought I understood was just a facet of the truth." Hiei slammed back the rest of the contents of his glass. "God. What a bitch."

"You should go to her man. You're sittin' here smilin' like a dope thinkin' 'bout her. You should go." Yusuke gestured with the hand containing his glass and it sloshed onto both of them. Hiei laughed as the detective blinked owlishly, shrugged, and then drained the cup.

* * *

Hiei swayed on his feet, eyes narrowed as he stood in Shinpi's kitchen, fresh from Yusuke's mother's apartment and reeking of alcohol. "I want what you and Kurama have."

"Kurama?" Shinpi tilted her head to the side. "What does Kurama share with me?"

"You. You're the thing." Hiei gestured toward her loosely. "I want that."

"Me?"

"Yes."

They stood assessing each other.

"You don't drink often, do you?" Shinpi guessed and Hiei huffed turning away. "Hiei, darling, I'm not sure what you think Kurama and I have, but I doubt you'd want it."

"He gets to touch you." Hiei declared, staggering forward a step. "You don't accuse him of hating you. You two _dance_."

"Do you want to dance?" She fought back a smile because there was only one way Hiei would know that information. He'd been watching her. And for a while now, it seemed. If he weren't in the state he was, she'd have taken offense.

"I hate dancing."

Shinpi sighed. "I don't understand what you're asking for."

"It doesn't matter." Hiei stared at her, looking more uncertain and uncomfortable than she'd ever seen him. "It doesn't matter because Kurama already has it and I can't get it. Master thief my _ass_. I didn't even know there was something to take."

"Kurama has nothing." She leveled the fire demon with a cool stare.

Hiei blinked, then made a face as if he disagreed in his drunken haze.

"I've never once allowed Kurama to sleep in my bed. Even if he were to, even if we were to sleep together five minutes from now, it wouldn't be what I wanted. Not really. It would be nice and fulfill a need, but it wouldn't satiate the craving." Shinpi explained and Hiei furrowed his brow. "You're drunk, Hiei."

"You're drunk." He accused sluggishly.

"You got me, Hiei." She sighed again.

"Goddamn right I do."

"Come to bed, Hiei. We'll talk about this in the morning, if you even remember the conversation." Shinpi motioned toward the stairs, eyebrows raising. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll make sure you don't choke on your own vomit or whatever."

"I'm fine."

"So you don't want to sleep in my bed?"

"…I could use some help."

"Good man."

The next morning came and Hiei grunted against the headache burrowing deep in his brain, making every sense he had a burden to endure. Except touch, he supposed. His hands were warm. The softness under his palms soothed some of the frustration at the ache in his head. When he took in a long, deep breath, he inhaled the clean scent of rain. He buried his face in the source of the scent, thankful that it washed away the wretched coating in his throat.

A groan earned his attention, and he carefully peeled open his eyes in the darkness of the room. Strands of black greeted him, brushing his cheeks and swathing his senses. His palms pressed firmly against the softness he'd somehow captured, drawing it closer.

Another groan. Hiei lifted his head to look down the body next to him. It took a minute to process that his hands were under Shinpi's night shirt, pulling her toward him as they wound around her. One on her ribs, one on her hip. The blanket was cast aside, just barely covering her feet and exposing her legs to the cool air. As Hiei shifted she pinched her eyes in her sleep, so he stopped. Waited.

Where was his shirt?

Where were Shinpi's pants?

What the hell happened last night? Why was he even here? He'd been with Yusuke, the idiot, and they'd started drinking because of his botched proposal. Drinking, and…

"Fuck." Hiei tensed.

"Good morning, cuddle bear." Shinpi smirked, turning in his hold to peer at him. "I'm surprised you're already awake. It was a wild night."

Hiei paled, searching for memories that had been swallowed by the unforgiving maw of whatever swill the detective had scrounged up the night before. Shinpi grinned at him, cuddling closer and tucking her head beneath his chin.

"Shinpi, when did I get here?" Hiei swallowed, barely stomaching the remnant flavors of vomit and alcohol. Maybe some mint?

"Oh, you don't remember." She propped herself up on an elbow.

Hiei realized he hadn't retracted his hands and immediately did so, eyes saucers. Shinpi searched his face in the darkness and then shook her head slightly.

"I knew you wouldn't. I told you even. You were so _insistent_ though." She sighed, then trailed her fingers down his jaw with such affection it confused him. "It's hard to deny a man who knows what he wants."

What… what he wanted? Oh no. No. Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK.

Kurama was going to flay him. His skin was as good as a suit, his blood and bones sure to be fertilizer for those damned carnivorous plants.

FUCK.

"Watching you writhe will never cease to warm a particularly cruel part of me." Shinpi smirked at him. "You're so cute when you think you're in trouble."

"Woman. What happened?" Hiei demanded in no mood for her games. "What did we do?"

"Oh, you want all the dirty details?" She sidled even closer to him, her mouth brushing his chin before she nipped at him. "Hiei, you're an animal."

Was it possible to bleed out without losing a drop of blood? Because the sensation he felt was definitely of blood loss. Cold in his limbs, a sinking feeling, lightheaded, but he wasn't wounded.

Not yet.

Kurama's wrath was not how he had planned to die. It's what he'd been trying to avoid, in their early years, actually.

Ironic.

"Well, first, you showed up all hot bothered, ranting about some nonsense. I don't know. You never would give me a clear answer. And then, I asked if you wanted to get some sleep. I offered my bed so I could watch you to make sure you didn't asphyxiate. After that you threw up all over your shirt and my pants, I hauled you to the bathroom to clean you off and forced you to brush your teeth. Then we fell asleep and you cuddled me like I was a teddy bear." Shinpi whispered the words in that infuriating way she did, where it sounded like she was confessing her desires.

But really, Hiei thought, she was just being a bitch.

Thank god.

"I kept telling you that you wouldn't remember anything and you accused me of being drunk." Shinpi relayed with heavy humor. "You're such a lightweight. I'm embarrassed for you."

"Don't you own more than one pair of pants?" Hiei asked her, pointedly to looking over her uncovered legs.

"I do. What? You can't handle laying next a woman who's not wearing pants?" Shinpi tilted her head. "I used to sleep in less."

"I didn't need to know that." Hiei mumbled.

"You're worried." She told him, and shrugged. "Can't imagine why."

"Because I shouldn't be here." Hiei pointed out, rubbing his temples. "Fuck Urameshi and his stupid problems. And his solution always involving intoxicants. Where the hell was Kuwabara last night? He normally handles this shit."

"Oh, it must be so terrible having friends relying on you." Shinpi noted.

"It is." Hiei grumbled. "Where's Kurama?"

"Kurama?" Shinpi tilted her head. "Probably at his house."

"He didn't sleep over?" Hiei asked and she shook her head. "I thought you would have called him after I left."

"Oh yeah, that's another thing, you kept telling me you wanted what Kurama had. That he was a thief. Then you called me a _thing_." She waved her hands through the hair. "You seemed to be under the impression that Kurama and I were an item, which is confusing to me since we aren't."

"You're not?" Hiei stared at her.

"Nope."

"That's stupid. Why not? You two are all over each other." Hiei pointed out. "You can't stop touching each other. You're always together."

"You're describing what used to be our relationship as well." She pointed out, collapsing on her arm and looking up at him as she rolled onto her back. "Kurama is rock, Hiei. He's lovely. I like being near him because he gets certain things, but he hasn't made a move toward me. I don't really want him to."

"You might be one of the first women to ever say that." Hiei didn't smirk or smile as he watched her lay out.

She was so incredibly close, he could just bow his head and press his mouth to hers and see what she did. Pass it off as a drunken act as though he weren't incredibly, painfully, sober. His fingers dug into the sheets.

"I've never been on a team before. I was always a commander, an officer." Shinpi looked up at the ceiling. "Is it normal for teammates to spread rumors about other members sleeping together?"

"It's not a rumor." Hiei grumbled. "Just a suspicion."

"Yusuke said it too."

"Did he?"

"I like it when you spend the night." She told him, it sounded like a thought that had made its way passed her lips. "It's nice to sleep with someone again."

Hiei stared at her.

"Sorry for barging in on your night." Hiei swallowed, wincing slightly at the sound of his own voice.

"I'm glad to know you feel safe to come to me. It means things between us aren't so bad. Maybe a little bent, but not as broken as I thought." She didn't let him respond before she rolled to her feet and stretched her arms. "I'm going to take a shower. You're free to stay for breakfast, if you want."

He didn't.

* * *

The music caught on the wind and the air seemed to carry the final, wavering notes to some distant place. Shinpi lowered the violin slowly, her eyes full of barely contained mist as she let out a shaky breath. Then she lowered herself to the ground and sat with her back against the large black marble stone maker. Kuya's human family name shone from the polished stone. The incense Shinpi had brought with her trailed with the breeze, the flowers lay beside her.

"I wish you were here. You'd know what to do. You were always better with people than I was." Shinpi complained, head back against the stone as she looked up at the dreary sky. "I've been lost with you, Kuya."

The confession was met with silence. Shinpi sighed, pulling a bottle of expensive sake and two cups from her bag. She filled both and set one beside the flowers while taking the other for herself.

"I'm confused." She admitted. "When he's around it feels different. The world is a little warmer, the colors a little brighter. But he's not around very much and I can't count on him to make the world worth living in."

She sipped her drink, then tossed it all back because why the hell not.

"Hiei has the worst timing." She lamented, grimacing as she looked to the side. "He's the worst. I deserve better than a man who has to be drunk to run his fingers through my hair. Don't I?"

Blue eyes darted toward the marker and then away.

"Of course I do. And why did it have to be last night? He's had two months to come and see me and he chooses to appear the day before Kin's birthday. What a fucking joke the universe is playing on me." Shinpi frowned and poured herself a second helping of sake. Her eyes misted again and she swallowed back the pain and the sake in one gulp. "I miss him so much, Kuya. Every day. I keep thinking it'll get better but it doesn't. I dream about him. I see him in every little boy who I come across. I can't stomach this pain anymore."

The wind circled her, the heavy clouds above slowly letting loose their haul of rain drops. It started softly at first and with the release came her first tears.

"I miss my son." She admitted to the silence. "And there is no one I can talk to who understands. Kurama tries, but he's never known. He sees the pain from the perspective of a boy who loves his mother. I think, sometimes, I should tell Hiei. I could show him. But I then I think his opinion of me would never be the same."

Shinpi let out a shuddering breath as the rain fell harder and she gave up on the pretense of the cup and brought the whole bottle to her lips.

* * *

"Shinpi. We need to talk." Hiei came in through her window when he found the back and front doors locked. Her room was empty. He frowned and looked around the space.

The house was quiet. She wasn't there. A quick glance revealed her communication mirror had been left behind. Swearing, he darted back out the window. Without her energy she was a needle in a haystack. He'd waited all day to come back to speak to her.

He wanted to explain that last night had been a fluke and she shouldn't take it too seriously but that he did want to be able to freely come see her. They were more than rivals, he decided to admit. Friends, maybe. Just… something. Something that meant he was allowed to come see her and it didn't have to be drunk off his ass.

Now he was forced to flit through the city to find her. He went back to the bar he'd seen her in with that flighty accomplice of hers. Nothing. Kurama had no clue where she was either. Neither did Kuwabara.

Hiei didn't dare go to Yusuke because the man was still in a stupor in his mother's house.

After a few more fruitless searches he relented and opened the Jagan. It took some parsing but he found her, nuzzled up to some stranger in a club he didn't recognize. Her mind was muddy, the thoughts slow and her senses dulled. He growled to himself and made his way toward her. It was reckless of her to be out of her mind this way, especially without her power. Even worse was that she'd gone off by herself.

He didn't offer a greeting of any kind when he pushed through the crowd and found her. She probably wouldn't have noticed even he had. His aura wasn't exactly hidden in his frustration and she hadn't reacted to his approach at all.

It was like she was _trying_ to get herself killed.

"Let's go." Hiei grabbed Shinpi by the wrist and yanked on her, trying to drag her with him out of the claustrophobic club. The pressure of all the body heat mixed with a million scents, heartbeats bleeding into the music, it was a crescendo and he didn't want to be around for the fall.

"Let me go. I don't want to go with you." Shinpi pried her arm free, stumbling back with a sneer. "Leave me alone."

"You're coming with me." He told her, anger rising as his tone sharpened.

"Leave her alone." A man grabbed Hiei, spinning him around.

"Fuck you." Hiei snarled. "Get out of my way."

"Back off." The man demanded and the fire demon leered at him, as he tried to appear tough.

"Give me an excuse." Hiei toed up to the man, all teeth and muscles as his anger swirled around him. "Touch me again and I'll end your fucking life, the rules be damned."

"Hiei, that's enough." Shinpi touched the back of his arm.

The fact it tempered his anger for a moment only caused the rebound to be that much stronger as his frustration with her grew. She winced at the heat that seared her fingertips.

"You can go." She assured him. "I'm a big girl, Hiei, I can take care of myself."

"Is that what this is? Taking care of yourself?" Hiei snapped at her. "You're blind drunk."

"Drunk is the least of what I am, probably." She admitted. "But I've never been blind."

"Fuck you." Hiei bowed his face closer to her to growl the words. "We're leaving."

"No." She jutted her chin upwards, locking eyes with him. "I don't want to go. I want to be here. I want to be like this."

"Too fucking bad."

"I want to _forget_ for a night. I want to stop _hurting_. _Let me have this_." She hissed the plea from between her teeth, grabbing onto his shirt and his wrist, dragging him closer. "Do you have any idea what it's like to feel _all the time_? I just want it to go away, just for a moment. Just tonight. Just for tonight I don't want to miss _him_."

Her grip on his wrist bruised, her nails tearing holes in his shirt where she balled the fabric in her fist. Even with pupils blown and drenched in sweat, reeking of the scents of a half-dozen people, her pain radiated.

And he hated it.

But he couldn't condone this.

"You want to forget, you come to me." He caressed her throat lightly closing the space between them. "You understand? You come to _me_. You don't wander off and take god knows what from random idiots. You don't make me _hunt you_ through a city."

"I don't want the memories gone. I just want to forget how they feel for a day." She didn't seem bothered by his palm pressing against the bones of her throat.

"Fine." Hiei snapped at her. "That's fucking, _fine_ , Shinpi. But you come to _me_ for that."

"You hate to _dance_." She accused, rolling her eyes and then her head. "Why would I come to you?"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt."

And his words struck her between the eyebrows and the ribs and she flinched against the assault. "That's not right. You said you wanted to hurt me."

"Yeah, _I_ want to hurt you. Doesn't mean I want you to suffer."

Her uncertainty shone in her hazy eyes, in the way she released his shirt but kept the contact of their skin alive on his wrist. Her breathing coming out in irregular puffs. He felt her swallow, felt her pulse hammer under his fingers. The music thrummed and the crowd moved, the energy in the club continuing to climb up, up, up. But Shinpi looked ready to crash.

This is what he'd wanted to avoid.

"Will it ever get better?" She asked him quietly at the loudest part of the song.

"No, probably not. But you'll eventually learn how to handle it." Hiei told her, grip growing lax.

"I don't want to die anymore." She told him, refusing to meet his gaze. "And I hate myself for it. I'm ashamed. I feel like I should want to die, but I don't want to anymore. I want to live. I want to fight with you and Yusuke and dance with Kurama and train Kazuma and I want to _live_ and it's _eating me alive_."

After a heartbeat of silence, she looked at him.

"Does that make me a monster?"

Hiei grabbed her and spun her around suddenly, a full circle he'd seen Kurama perform a time or two. Not violently, but it wasn't graceful either. He lacked the practice to pull the move off as easily as the fox could've. When he pulled her to him again, burying his face in her neck, hands on her hips, he made her sway. It was all he could think to do, move in that shallow circle so he could hide from her.

Because the relief that flooded through him might've made him seem insane if she'd seen it.

She might not remember this night tomorrow, but he would, and he wanted to know that it wasn't riddled with regret on his part. So he dug his fingers into her, kept himself hidden from view, and moved her to dance with him.

She melted into him, hands twining through his hair, keeping him so close he wasn't sure that their clothes were enough to separate them anymore. Her breath warmed the cup of his ear and he felt her tears falling against his cheek, but he didn't raise his head. He didn't look, or speak, or do anything other than exist for a moment. At some point between the second and third song time began to run together. When Shinpi finally pulled away, her eyes were a touch clearer, though they were rimmed with redness.

"You come to me." Hiei told her again, not releasing her yet. "Or Kurama. Or Yusuke. Or even Kuwabara. You come to _us_ , Shinpi, and you let us help you forget if that's what you want."

She jerked him toward her and the kiss was earnest. It tasted of salt and whiskey, of whatever she had taken earlier in the night to numb her soul. Hiei appreciated the bitterness because it matched how he felt about this being the second kiss she wouldn't remember the next day.

"Sleep beside me tonight, please." She held onto him, clinging, and he nodded without a word. "I'm ready to go home."

He kept his arm around her shoulders as she stumbled from the club. Her usual grace and poise destroyed under the haze she'd thrown herself into. Getting her home was a feat he hadn't anticipated, because the woman kept stopping to idolize everything like a damn toddler. Anything vaguely interesting to her became the most important thing in the world for at least five minutes.

And gods help him with the dogs.

She had to stop to pet each one, laughing when they licked her face and falling onto her ass several times. It wasn't dignified at all. Hiei huffed and dragged her away from each stop, complaining about her behavior until they got to her house. When she missed the keyhole twice, her fingers not cooperating with her brain, he snatched the keys and opened the door. She began peeling off her sweat-drenched clothes immediately, walking into the half-bath and laundry room on the bottom floor.

She didn't close the door and Hiei waited against the wall for her, ready to intervene if it sounded like she did something stupid like fall. But she opened the door bare except for her underwear and stretched, padding passed him toward the stairs. Hiei stared after her, trying not to but watching to be sure she wasn't about to trip and kill herself. He made no move to follow her.

"You said you'd sleep beside me." She told him, one foot on the bottom stair, hand on the rail, hair spilling over her chest and back.

This was a mistake and he should call Kurama.

Hiei pushed off the wall, determined to prove himself capable of handling this woman. He refused to react to her bared flesh, to the way she sized him up with eyes becoming increasingly clearer. With a nod of his head, he directed her up the stairs. Shinpi lead the way, the sway of her hips a distraction he tried to ignore.

It was a relief to him when she trudged to her dresser and pulled out an oversized shirt to drape over her frame. He actually sighed, he was so thankful. Posting himself on the bed, he waited for her.

This he could handle. At least this was familiar ground. But when Shinpi walked over and placed a kiss on his forehead before crawling under the covers he almost fled the room. He laid down on top of the blanket, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while yet. She curled against him, face pressed to his arm. It was nearly immediate, her falling asleep, and he considered leaving.

She wouldn't remember in the morning.

But then he saw the tears falling as cried in her sleep and he gave up.

"Goddammit." He muttered, staring up at the ceiling. "You're the fucking worst, Shinpi."

She made a sound in her sleep and he pursed his lips, closing his eyes.

* * *

Hiei woke up to find Shinpi in the kitchen, hot coffee waiting for him. Food spread out with enough variety he wondered if the others were on their way over too.

"It's my patented apology breakfast." Shinpi told him, wiping her palms on her apron as she chewed her lip.

"Stop that." Hiei told her absently. "Apology breakfast?"

"I know that last night wasn't easy for you. I'm sorry. I overstepped so many boundaries and I was awful to you. You're more of a saint than I could have ever imagined, Hiei, I mean, not outright killing me really speaks to your character." She rambled, gesturing loosely with her hand. "Between running off, arguing with you, kissing you, I just, I'm sorry."

Hiei stared at her.

And stared.

For a long time, in silence, his mouth slightly open and one eyebrow arched.

"I called Kurama." Shinpi informed him quietly, worrying at her lip again. "I told him how majorly I fucked up last night and I asked him to come over so you could get some space."

"I don't want space." Hiei told her, glaring. "Don't do that without asking me."

"I just assumed-"

"You were wrong. You were annoying last night, but I was mostly angry because I had to look for you. And because of the state I found you in. What the hell were you thinking? Any number of things could have happened to you." Hiei didn't raise his voice. He didn't see the point in it and he was distracted trying to figure out how to turn Kurama away without starting a _conversation_.

"I know. I just, I-"

"Wanted to forget. I know." Hiei rolled his attention back to her as he sat down. "You remember promising me you would come to me next time?"

"I do." She nodded, rolling her lips.

"Good. Sit down and eat." Hiei gestured to her empty seat.

"You're making me nervous." Shinpi admitted, frowning as she followed his order with reservation. "You're being awfully understanding."

"About?" Hiei huffed, taking a larger than necessary bite of egg.

She looked at him, trying to pull something from his expression that wasn't there.

"I kissed you." She told him again, as if he needed reminding.

As if he couldn't still taste her on his tongue when he woke up that morning.

"At least you remember it this time." Hiei rolled his eyes and nearly dropped his chopsticks when he realized what he'd said. She offered a startled _This time?_ as she gaped at him. "Do you remember when you lost your shit in the woods outside of the temple? The next morning I tried to give you your sword."

"I remember that part." She allowed.

"We kissed then too." Hiei informed her in a hurry as the front door pushed open and Kurama entered. "It's not a big deal."

Her expression plainly read that it _was_ a big deal, her cheeks burning scarlet suddenly. Both of them greeted Kurama with too much interest as he walked into the kitchen, and green eyes flicked between them.

"You didn't need to come. She's a repentant idiot." Hiei gestured with his chopsticks toward the fox as the redhead helped himself to breakfast. "It's under control."

"Is that true?" Kurama glanced at Shinpi, who stared at Hiei then slowly moved her attention to the other man.

"I called you for Hiei's comfort, not mine." She informed him. "I'm fine either way, honestly."

"I told her the next time she wants to go on a bender to come to one of us." Hiei forged ahead in the conversation, determined to cut off whatever line of thinking was glimmering in Kurama's eye. "If she's going to make stupid choices I'd rather one of us be around to keep her safe."

"I agree." Kurama nodded, carefully biting into an omelet that had been set out for him. "Last night must've been wild."

"For her." Hiei snorted. "Tch. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't shown up. Or what happened before I did eventually find her."

"Indeed." Kurama agreed. "You did give him quite a scare, Hichi. I'd avoid such acts in the future."

"Understood." She ate her food in mostly silence, but it was clear to both men the cogs in her head were whirring away as she tried to figure out how to handle the information Hiei had dumped on her.

The universe was indeed playing some long-winded joke on her.

And boy was she nervous for the punchline.


	30. Besties

Kurama had left the two of them minutes before and Shinpi hadn't even bothered to collect the dishes before her attention narrowed on the fire demon in her home. His outburst was fresh in her mind when she cornered him by the door.

"We need to discuss this." Shinpi demanded as Hiei shrugged on his cloak.

"There's nothing to discuss." He assured her with a glare. "It was a drunken mistake on your part. It's fine. I already told you."

"No. I meant what you said. We've kissed before?" She stepped toward him and he braced himself as if expecting a blow. Interesting reaction. Did Hiei assume she was angry? If anything she was embarrassed. "Hiei, this is important."

"Then maybe you should've remembered." He shot back at her hotly, his aggravation clear as day.

"What happened?"

"I told you, it doesn't matter." He sneered. "Stop trying to make a fuss over nothing."

"How can you say it's nothing?" She bared her teeth with the demand.

"Because that's what it is." Hiei stepped around her, making his way for the door. "Let it go."

He had the door pried open and thought he was home free when her words came to him as cold as ice.

"No, I don't think I will."

He fled the next moment, not daring to give her the advantage of a sneak attack. She'd cool down after a few days. In a week this would be a long forgotten conversation. In the meantime, he'd fine way to distract himself.

* * *

 _I'm going to kick that bastard right in his front teeth._ Shinpi thought as she slammed her leg into Kuwabara's raised forearm, driving him back a few inches. _Running out on me when he_ knew _I had questions_.

She began slamming at the massive man with her fists and feet, relentless as her thoughts carried her away during their training session in her backyard.

 _Who the hell does Hiei think he is?! When I get my hands on him-_

"Ugh." Kuwbara landed on his back and winced, rubbing at his battered arm. "Sheesh Hichi, what's got you so pissed off?"

"Oh Kazuma I'm so sorry." She reigned herself in immediately. "I got lost in my head. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He sat up and stared at her. "What's going on?"

"I'm irritated with Hiei and his inconvenient disappearing acts." She admitted, rubbing her neck. "Did I hurt you?"

"I'll be okay."

"You did well. I wasn't paying attention to my actions and yet you remained on your feet. I'm proud of you. Let's call it day for sparring and drink some tea before we move onto meditating."

She helped him to his feet and watched as he swept his gaze over her. "Yeah, okay."

* * *

It was a stupid mistake. One that he should have easily avoided, and yet he hadn't. He'd been so distracted by his thoughts he hadn't sensed the fools sneaking up on him. It was Shinpi's fault, honestly. Her insistence that they needed to _talk_ had irked him to the point of negligence.

Maybe that's why he found himself prying open her bedroom window in the dead of night as he'd done several times over the last few weeks, slipping inside without a sound. Previously, he'd done this to check on her and to quell her nightmares. Now? He wasn't sure what spurred this action. One minute he was winding a bandage around his wounds after trouncing his enemies and the next he was in the woman's bedroom, picking her form out of the shadows with practiced ease. His feet carried him closer to her and he was almost relieved that she seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

His presence hadn't disturbed her slumber in a long time.

Hiei laid himself out behind Shinpi, the bandages around his abdomen pulling to the point of discomfort but he didn't readjust them. The pain kept his head clear. Not clear enough, obviously, since he'd stumbled in here and sank onto the mattress behind the woman as she slept. Her breaths came easily, deep and even, and Hiei counted them to wind his mind down. He was careful not to touch her, laying just close enough to feel her heat, to be caught in her scent.

He would leave in a few minutes. He kept repeating the words to himself, listening to the calm rhythm of her breath.

"You smell like blood."

Motionless, Hiei's eyes widened before narrowing, his teeth grinding together as he clenched his jaw. "I hadn't realized you were awake."

"Do you often sneak in here when I'm asleep?" Shinpi didn't turn to him at first.

It was with heavy annoyance that Hiei grit out the words, "Define often."

A light chuckle preceded the woman rolling over to face him, placing them far too close to each other. Her movement shifted her higher onto the pillows and her arms weaved under and over him, wrapping around his head as she pulled it under her chin. Gentle fingers stroked through his hair in small movements.

Hiei tensed under the affections, glaring at the woman's collarbone. He put his hands on her ribs to push her away but she hummed and for some reason he didn't want to fathom he wrapped his arms around her middle and closed his eyes.

"I hate this." He told her, frustrated. "I hate everything about this."

"I can tell." She agreed quietly. "But I like it, so you'll have to endure until I fall back to sleep since you woke me up."

"Fine. And then I'm leaving." Hiei warned her darkly. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

"Hush, Hiei." Shinpi's words drifted to him and his hold on her tightened as his arms tensed.

Right then, in the darkness of her room with her arms wound around him, he hated her. He hated her scent, the way she felt under his hands and especially the way she spoke his name. He hated that she'd done this stupid thing, holding him like he was something precious, fingers curled through his hair. It made him grind his teeth together. Weren't they in the middle of an argument? Why did she do things like this?

"Is it you blood?" Shinpi asked just as quietly a few minutes later.

"It's old. The wound is closed." Hiei rumbled. "Go to sleep. I'm getting impatient."

She hummed again and at the first hint that her arms were loosening from around him, Hiei made a warning sound in the base of his throat until she rethought releasing him.

Goddammit, he hated her. Hated _this_ whatever it was.

But he didn't want her to pull away from him because he'd hate her absence even more.

Fucking pathetic.

"You said until you fall asleep, don't become a liar." Hiei closed his eyes, sneering.

"You're right. Of course." She settled back into her station with a small adjustment, and Hiei watched her chest rise and fall with a particularly deep breath.

It wasn't long after that he felt her body grow soft in his arms. Her fingers remained in his hair but her grip grew lax, the ministrations stilled. He knew she was asleep. Breaking her hold would be nothing, slipping from the room like the thief he was would be child's play.

He hadn't expected her to wake up.

He hated that she'd caught him in this moment of weakness.

But his eyes drifted closed even as he huffed about her ridiculous notions of physical doting. Cradling him close like a child, what a moronic gesture.

He fell asleep.

* * *

When Hiei opened his eyes to the light beyond, he half expected the night before to be some strange pain-driven dream. He hadn't expected to find a pair of steely blue eyes boring into his face while fingers stroked through his hair and over his cheek. He sat up and snarled at the woman whose bed he found himself in, pushing himself back from her with bared teeth.

"You came to me." She informed him coolly.

He had, hadn't he? So what. It didn't mean he needed her doting. His wounds itched and he knew she hadn't healed him. With a flick of his gaze he studied the still present bands on her wrists.

Just how long was she planning on playing at being human this time?

"Maybe I came to be healed." He growled at her.

"I doubt it, otherwise you'd have woken me up and made your demand clear." She drew one knee up and her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she studied him. "You needed a safe place to recuperate and you knew I'd provide that."

"You think too highly of yourself."

"Says the man who runs from me at every turn."

Hiei bristled and she watched him do so with pursed lips.

"Whether you like it or not, we are discussing what you told me today."

"There's no point."

"I disagree."

"Shinpi-"

"You've been acting strangely toward me ever since that night. If I forced myself on you, I deserve to know. You have no reason to protect me from myself."

Her words stopped the formed rebuttal on his tongue. He felt it dissolve as he studied her. Her posture was tense, her muscles taut. She was prepared to fight him.

Because she thought he'd want to fight _her_.

"Hiei, I don't remember what I did. If I hurt you, I'm sorry. Whether I remember or not doesn't change that I should have never put my hands on you." She told him firmly, darkly even.

She thought she was the aggressor? Sure she'd instigated their fight, but the kiss? That had been all him. Didn't she realize that?

"Who said you were the one who came at me?" He asked, assessing her.

"It's obvious, isn't it? It's not like you'd ever advance on me." She pointed out as if this were a fact to her.

That answered more of his questions than it didn't. Shinpi thought he didn't find her worth his time, romantically, that much was obvious from her stern tone. Her scrutiny made more sense to him. This woman thought she'd put him in a compromised position and she was angry about it, but that anger was directed toward herself.

"I kissed you." He informed her curtly, daring her to challenge him.

Silence fell between them and it visibly caught her off guard. Her eyes widened a fraction, her posture tensing before relaxing some. Her fist clenched then unfurled. And yet, when she spoke, that muscle in her jaw remained taut.

"Why?"

He swallowed and looked away because that was the question he'd been wanting to avoid. It took a few minutes to find an answer that didn't unsettle his stomach. Hiei hated the way she was studying him. He couldn't exactly _lie_ because she'd sniff it out in no time. But the truth was too disgusting to utter aloud. Speaking about his attraction to her felt like the worst thing he could say. She was a teammate, whether she wanted to admit it or not. What would she even do with the information? What would be worse, her demanding a relationship or laughing in his face at the thought?

Did it matter that the attraction seemed mutual? She'd kissed him too, on her own terms. That memory didn't bolster him the way he'd hoped. Shinpi had been out of her mind at the time. Did it even matter that it was him? Would she have sought that comfort in whatever hapless fool happened to caught up in her arms in that moment? The woman seemed utterly sure he didn't want to touch her.

Conflicted, he muttered the only thing he could think that would answer her and hopefully end this conversation he desperately wanted away from.

"In the moment, it was the thing to do."

She looked away from him, and he looked away from her. He wasn't sure what his admittance revealed and he wasn't even sure what he'd meant. Did this change things? Should he admit he was attracted to this idiotic woman? Should he tell her that in the moment she'd wanted to kill him and he'd found that draw irresistible? Or should he keep his mouth shut?

"I'm sorry." Shinpi sighed, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the far wall.

"What for?" Hiei frowned at her, moving his attention back to her face.

"That you felt like you had no other choice but to-"

"Shinpi." Hiei cut her off. "Shut up."

She glanced at him, confused.

"I said it was nothing. I kissed you because I wanted to. So what? You kissed me for the same reason." Hiei pointed out. "Stop acting like you're some sort of martyr and get over it."

Cobalt eyes scanned over him before her head tilted to the side. She squinted and pursed her lips, then looked away again, her thoughts revving up.

"You avoided me for months, Hiei, and then we fought and kissed and I didn't even remember. You got flighty right after that. I can't just get over the idea that I did something to drive us apart."

"I wasn't avoiding you. You demanded space." He pointed out dryly. "As for the rest, I didn't know how to broach the subject. If you'd remembered it would have been easier, but kissing a woman who was practically unconscious isn't exactly becoming, now is it? I didn't know how you'd react."

"So where does this leave us?" She asked him quietly and he winced at the question.

This was exactly what he'd been wanting to skirt around. Discussions of what they were and what it meant.

"We're the same." Hiei told her firmly, hoping to use the force of his will to push the words into being.

Her reaction wasn't what he'd hoped for, as she leaned back against the headboard and sighed. "That's too bad."

Hiei stiffened, trying to pick apart the meaning of her words without voicing his questions. She glanced at him, and then _down_ him, and then tisked before sliding from the bed and making her way to her dresser. His eyes narrowed because he was about tired of her undressing in front of him when he couldn't touch her. It was only a partial relief that she didn't begin shedding her night clothes.

"If you ever change your mind, let me know." She offered with her back to him while she rummaged through her drawers. "I respect your stance. Just know that I wouldn't mind if we became the sort of people who took comfort in each other. I miss that sort of thing."

Her smirk was hidden from him but Shinpi could practically hear the thoughts whirring around his brain. She didn't need to see his face to know that he was confused and frustrated. She could feel it. And it amused her to no end. Hiei had been trying so carefully to school his answers to avoid giving anything away. It seemed he expected the same from her. The difference between them was that she wasn't confused.

She knew what she wanted.

And she was a practiced hunter. She knew how to bait her prey and wait it out. They were still miles from where she hoped they'd eventually wind up, but the trail was marked.

Hiei just needed a little confidence. A slight push.

Her smirk widened when he shifted on the bed, likely sitting up straighter to try and get a glance at her expression. She made sure he didn't get what he wanted and turned toward the closet.

"What does that mean?" Hiei asked finally, his tone as cautious as she'd ever heard it. "To become the sort of people who take comfort in each other? I'm not interested in wiling my time away like the detective or the oaf. I don't need some nag hounding me day in and out."

"Relax. It's not like I could even put up with you that often." She turned and offered him a measured smile over her shoulder. "I'm not proposing to you, Hiei. I'm just saying that I don't mind you showing up here when you're injured and in need of safety. I also don't mind the idea that there might be some moments where you want to kiss me. You have my permission to try if the mood strikes you again."

His expression clearly told her he felt like this was a trap.

"There are worse faces to wake up to." She told him and scanned her eyes down him again before taking her armful of clothes with her toward the bathroom. "Don't worry, I realize this is a one sided proposition. I'm offering it freely, I don't expect reciprocation. I won't take any liberties."

She was in the hall when his answer came, a little tense and doused with more than his usual gruffness. "You could take a few. On occasion."

Her grin didn't falter until she forced it to tone down when she realized Hiei was still there after her shower. He waited in the kitchen with two cups of coffee on the table and a fresh roll of bandages he'd apparently pilfered from one of her first aid kits. The soiled bandages he'd previously been swathed in sat in a pile on the table, his wound still raw and jagged. Without a word she walked over and began to wind the new ones around his middle.

"If you didn't have those damn things on you could heal me." Hiei pointed out again just as bitterly, glaring at her wrists.

"If you'd wanted an opinion on the matter you should've been at the meeting." Shinpi told him, tying off her handiwork before swooping up her rapidly cooling mug and drinking a delightful gulp. After she swallowed she shrugged at him. "I gave everyone a chance to say their piece."

He sneered. "I don't recall being invited."

"I'm surprised you didn't notice considering how closely you seem to have been watching me recently." She pointed out and offered him another practiced smile that sent his teeth grinding. "I'll make you breakfast before I head out to meet the girls."

He furrowed his brow.

"Botan is gathering us of the fairer sex to rally around Keiko in this trying time." Shinpi made a face as if this wasn't her idea of a good time. "Honestly, I don't understand what the issue is. Keiko and Yusuke seem to love each other. They're childhood sweethearts. Why the rejection?"

"She's made excuses like this before." Hiei explained, sipping his coffee as he watched her flit about the kitchen. "Last time it was his frequent visits to his territory. If she doesn't want to be with him she should just say so instead of getting back with him in a week and going through this again. I'm done with those two and their waffling."

"Do you think she's scared?" Shinpi turned to face him with the question.

"That woman is far fiercer than people like to admit." Hiei rolled his eyes. "If she's scared, it's not of Yusuke."

"What do you think, then?" She went back to her work of crafting the simplest breakfast she could on her timetable.

"I think this is all moronic. They're both fools. A lifetime of chasing one another and _marriage_ is the breaking point? It seems counterintuitive." Hiei pointed out. "I told Yusuke that this was all pointless anyway. They're already committed to each other, living together, sleeping together and devoted. What would marriage actually add or change?"

" _That_ is an astute question." Shinpi looked up from the frying pan she was working over. Her thoughts were already formulating a plan.

"Stop it." Hiei warned her from the table, watching as she fixed his plate and immediately washed everything she'd used. "I can _feel_ you wanting to meddle. Leave it alone."

"I won't offer a thing unless I'm asked." She agreed with a nod before depositing the plate before him. "I'm glad we were able to talk."

"Don't make it sound so willing. You trapped me." Hiei huffed. "I don't even understand what you've been so upset over."

"It always sucks to fight with your best friend." Shinpi frowned at him.

Hiei's eye began to twitch. He couldn't help it. His eyebrow ticked as he gnashed his teeth together, his chopsticks lowering back the table.

Best friend? _Best friend_? _BEST FUCKING FRIEND?_

"We can't be rivals and best friends." Hiei hissed the words, incensed beyond even his own reasoning.

Shinpi seemed nonplussed by his reaction, crossing far too close. His aura sparked against her but she breezed to him undisturbed. Her palm cupped his cheeks as she looked over his fierce expression, his eyes alight with the glimmer of fury.

"Are you saying you aren't up to the challenge?" She asked him in a low voice that teased him in the wrong ways.

What was he supposed to say to that? Every answer he imagined she had a prepared statement for. Something smart that would trap him in this arrangement. So he defaulted to silence, as usual. Unfortunately, she seemed prepared for that too.

"Well, you're not saying no." She determined and Hiei sneered at her.

"No." He put as much vehemence into the syllable as he could muster.

"Too bad." She pressed herself into his space and when his aura crackled she shoved hers against him, and it swallowed his whole, her binds fraying to nothing in the process. Damn, she'd need to grab herself another set. "Because this isn't your choice. You're my best friend and even if you don't reciprocate, there's not a damn thing to be done. You're caught, Hiei. Get used to it."

He tightened himself, baring his teeth and she just smiled at him, stepping back.

"See you later, bestie."

"I hate you!" He shouted after her, coiled to spring, fists as his sides.

She blew him a kiss as she waved goodbye.

Then she was out the door and he was alone in her house left wondering what the hell had exactly happened between them that morning. He'd expected the woman to get _weird_ around him but if anything she seemed more comfortable than before. He ate his first bites tentatively with those thoughts in mind.

Best friend. What the hell was wrong with her? First that ridiculous proposition that he could approach her whenever he wanted and now this? Besides, wasn't this all a contradiction? Could they be rivals and _best friends_ and still kiss whenever the mood took one of them? A joke. A sick fucking joke.

Maybe.

It could work, he allowed after a few minutes of thought, in theory. After all, wasn't that a human qualifier for lovers? To be friends? Maybe it was her mixing up the language of these mortal idiots with their demon principles.

By the time he finished the meal she'd made he was calmer about it. It didn't matter what it was called. At the root of it was Shinpi saying she liked having him around and didn't mind him touching her. Kissing her. Things other demons didn't get the right to do. All without the suffocation of an outright relationship. He didn't want to deal with the shit Yusuke did. He couldn't imagine putting up with being bossed around or scolded so often. And he sure as hell didn't think he could be expected to stare at the woman with such adoration, the way Yusuke stared at Keiko or the way she stared back. That was absurd. So really, given that and what he knew of relationships at large Shinpi's ridiculous declaration held merit.

Best friends.

He guessed he could live with that.

* * *

Keiko swirled her spoon in her ice cream before sighing and pushing it away. Shinpi accepted it readily, rejoining the table with a coffee in hand. Botan frowned at the brunette, having boxed her in on the bench they shared at the café. Shizuru and Shinpi took the other side of the table.

"It'll be alright." Botan wrapped an arm around Keiko's shoulders. "You've got us!"

"I'm out of the loop." Shinpi announced, taking a bite of the disregarded treat. "What exactly are we all doing here?"

"We're trying to help Keiko get over her spat with Yusuke." Botan stage whispered behind her hand.

"Spat? I was under the impression they broke up over the engagement." Shinpi tilted her head before popping another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"We didn't break up." Keiko made a face. "Yusuke just didn't handle it well."

"That's alright, he'll come around." Botan patted the other girl's forearm. "We're here if you want to talk about it."

"What do you think?" Keiko asked Shinpi, chewing the inside of her cheek.

"I was told in no uncertain language not to meddle in this." Shinpi shrugged and pushed the ice cream back to Keiko who accepted it with hesitation.

"By who?" Keiko asked, surprised.

"Hiei." Shinpi shrugged. "He said to leave it alone and that you two will figure it out like you always do."

"Hiei said that?" Botan blinked.

"He seemed fairly convinced." Shinpi bobbed her head, then rested her elbow on the table and cupped her cheek with her palm. "He holds you in high regard, actually. Called you fierce. He also said he thought it was foolish that you two were coming to pieces over marriage when thats practically what you already are."

Keiko leaned forward over the table, intrigued by this news. "I thought Hiei hated me."

"He keeps his opinions close to his chest." Shinpi allowed.

"I'm surprised he was so open about this." Shizuru smirked at her as if she knew a secret.

"It came up." The other drawled in return, her expression mirroring the presence of a shared secret. "At any rate I trust Hiei's judgement. I think you'll figure it out."

"It's just hard. Yusuke is this really powerful man and he has so much potential but it's also all so scary. I remember missing him for weeks at a time in grade school when he'd run off to train. And the tournament. I couldn't even imagine my children coming of age in that world. I'd be terrified." Keiko lamented and dug into the ice cream. "How does anyone handle that?"

"By trusting their children to make the right decision with the tools they've been given throughout their lives." Shinpi told her loosely. "You'd raise a capable kid, Yukimura. A fool hardy kid, sure, but capable. You should have more faith in yourself."

Keiko smiled at her softly, and then nodded. "So, what do I do about Yusuke then? I think this was the last time. I haven't seen him in days and it's killing me that he's been away from home."

"Do you want to marry him?" Shizuru lulled.

After a quiet moment of contemplation came the firm. "Yes. I do."

"Then marry him." Shizuru told her.

"But I don't think he'll ask me again." Keiko began to chew her cheek once more. "I can't blame him. I panicked."

"So don't wait for him to ask you." Shinpi offered with a sly smile. "Flip the script, darling. Things aren't how they used to be. Women are getting more daring. Maybe him show him what that means."

"You're suggesting _I_ propose to _him_?" Keiko balked, her cheeks flaming. "I couldn't do that!"

"I think it's a wonderful idea!" Botan beamed, clasping her hands together. "He'll never expect it and it would be such a wonderful story! It would really show you've come all the way around too."

"Exactly." Shizuru and Shinpi spoke in unison, both offering Botan a finger gun before tossing each other grins.

"And like Botan said before. You've got us. We can help you figure it out." Shizuru offered and the other brunette offered the smallest of nods. "You two kids belong together. Let's make it happen."

Of all her recent secret missions, Shinpi had to admit, this one sounded like the most challenging. But also the most rewarding. She was looking forward to it.


	31. Close Encounters

**A/N: Shameless self promotion plug- If you guys like this story you may like my other current fic Southern Charm. Just saying.**

 **Also, I hope you're all having a good evening and a wonderful weekend. Thank you to all of you reading! I appreciate it so much! Turnout for reviews last chapter was so great and I'm so thankful I have such amazing readers. Seriously. You're all the MVPs.**

* * *

The gathering of women took up most of the apartment's living room. Yusuke was out causing trouble with Kuwabara and it allowed the group to have another strategy meeting. It had been a week since they'd all discussed Keiko proposing to Yusuke and she'd finally settled on a how and when with some help from the other women.

"Alright, so that's our plan of attack." Shizuru punched her fist into her palm, unlit cigarette dangling from her lips as she grinned. "I like it. He'll never know what hit him."

"You think so?" Keiko chewed her cheek, looking down at the kimono she'd laid out so carefully for the girls to examine. "I mean, I don't know."

"You cannot charge into battle with uncertainty in your heart." Shinpi threw in, her fingers absently toying with the terry cloth wristband Genkai had recrafted for her, her eyes glancing at the clock on the wall. "It is the surest way to meet defeat."

The others stared at her for a second. Oh, that's right. They were talking about a proposal. Shinpi flashed them all a smile, a little forced, to ease the curiosity in the room.

"You'll have him on his knees begging for your mercy in no time, Keiko." Blue eyes landed on the woman in question. "It's a lovely plan and I think it'll work. A festival is a great place to be alone surrounded by people. The warmth, the excitement, the atmosphere, it'll be perfect. Plus, who can say no to you in that beautiful kimono?"

"Plus, your hair and makeup are going to be _perfect_." Shizuru winked at the brunette.

"I'm so excited!" Yukina beamed, clasping her hands together. "I can't wait for your engagement party! We should all go to dinner after the proposal to celebrate!"

Keiko started to blush scarlet. "I mean, let's see what he says first."

"Nonsense." Botan waved a hand through the air. "There's no doubt. He'll be a sniveling mess of yeses."

"She has a point." Shizuru chuckled.

Shinpi glanced at the clock again, squinting slightly. Botan caught her attention wavering and checked the time too. Amethyst eyes met cobalt and the two women simply stared at each other for a ticking second before Shinpi got to her feet and stretched her arms over her head.

"Well, now that we have our battle plan laid out I'm going to run." She announced.

"Already?" Keiko frowned at her. "I thought we were going to watch a movie and order in."

"Not tonight." Shinpi made an apologetic face. "Sorry Keiko. Definitely next time."

"What's up?" Shizuru smirked at her. "You got a hot date? Maybe with a snarky little fire demon we all know and tolerate?"

"Hiei?" Shinpi blinked and then laughed outright. "That's ridiculous."

"You saying you don't have a thing for him?" The tallest of them pressed still grinning like a fool. "You're not a good liar, you know."

"Oh no, given the chance I'd devour him. Or allow him to devour me." Shinpi assured her and it brought a blush to Keiko, Botan and Yukina's cheeks. "I'm saying there's no reality in which Hiei would be caught dead on a date. The boy can hardly handle having _friends._ "

"Sure." Shizuru shrugged. "Whatever you say."

Shinpi eyed the psychic then raised an eyebrow, wondering if the woman knew something she didn't. Then she shook her head and decided to leave it be. With another goodbye she left the apartment and made her way toward her house. She'd barely crossed the threshold of her entryway when the communication mirror in her pocket buzzed. With some annoyance she opened it to greet Koenma's dour looking face.

"Relax." She ordered him. "I'm getting ready now."

"Forgive me for being anxious." He snapped at her. "This isn't exactly on the up and up you know."

"Yeah, trust me. I know." She frowned and walked into the downstairs half bath, climbing onto the washing machine. She pushed up on a loose ceiling tile and reached into the space, pulling a backpack out.

"Will you be okay? With those?" He pointed toward her wrist as she started to rifle through the bag.

"I was okay last time." She told him while pausing. Her eyes scanned the fabric then she shook her head and went back to pulling the all black clothes from the bag and the red haired wig. "I'll contact you when I'm back."

"I know you don't think it matters to me, but please be careful." Koenma's brow creased as he watched her. "If the situation isn't ideal for you, just leave. It's not worth your life."

That made her stop. Her eyes flicked to the screen but he had already disconnected. With a squint she processed his words. And then she pushed them away because she couldn't afford distractions. Shedding her clothes, she pulled on the loose black pants, wrapping black bandages around the ankles to keep them from riding up. Then she donned a sports bra to flatten her chest, pulling her long sleeve black shirt down, loose enough to disguise her curves when she tucked it into the pants. She walked to the sink, washed her hands and dried them thoroughly before opening the contact case she'd stashed in the bag with this outfit. The lenses effectively turned her blue eyes dark brown. Next came the wig cap with a ward tucked inside then the wig, a fiery red made of authentic demon hair. Just in case.

If any hairs came loose, they'd be traced back so some poor schmuck who definitely wasn't her. Without her energy present it would be hard to detect her, and the ward made it nigh impossible. Dousing herself in a cologne neutralized her natural scent and covered it up. She smeared black around her eyes. She barely recognized herself.

So many precautions.

Her thumbs slipped through the holes made for them in the sleeve of her shirt. Black gloves with sharp metal spikes sewed onto the knuckles covered her fingers like a second skin. She stared at herself in the mirror. Then she pulled the wig into a low ponytail that rest against her neck, grabbed the bag with her regular clothes shoved into it along with the last few items she'd need. But she couldn't risk putting them on yet. She needed to be away from her house first. So out the door she went, wearing black boots and headed for her usual spot.

Nestled in the forest was a particularly hard to see hole in the roots of a tree. The cover of darkness aided the camouflage and Shinpi shoved the bag into the space as was part of her routine. With practiced hands she pulled the balaclava down over her head, tucking it into the neck of the shirt she wore. All that showed were her eyes. She kept a knife in each boot, never fully comfortable without a blade present somewhere on her body. Strapping a quiver to her back and a bow to her side she exhaled and started toward the breaking point between worlds.

* * *

Two days. He'd only been back for two days and already there was some _crisis_ Mukuro only trusted him to handle. Hiei didn't bother hiding his annoyance. Some encampments on the border were being ransacked by an unknown assailant. How this involved him, he didn't know or care.

"You see why this is a problem." Mukuro waved a hand toward Hiei who glowered back at her. "I want you to look into it."

"Why should we care if someone is picking off the weak?" Hiei demanded. "Let them."

"Hiei, we can't simply allow the populace to take matters into their own hands on these matters." Mukuro informed him. "Just go and see what the situation is."

"Fine." He huffed and stalked away, his mood officially soured. "Hope you aren't expecting them brought in alive."

* * *

Shinpi panted, fists raised before she swung a harsh cross hook against the throat and jaw of a particularly wiry demon who had tried to get the jump on her, the spikes on her knuckles tearing into its flesh. This camp was over populated. Koenma was right to ask her to investigate. She'd gathered some serious intel, and she'd meant to leave the way she'd come.

But she'd found humans and that meant she had to release them.

Honestly, these dissenters were getting out of hand. Someone needed to put them in their place. The fact the king hadn't already was annoying. If he continued to allow this problem to grow Demon World would find itself at war: the kings versus the population.

And with those odds, the kings stood little chance.

Demons who were unhappy with the opening of the barrier were trying to rally up support. It wasn't that they minded having access to human world, it was the restrictions that came with it that bothered them. These idiots wanted the right to hunt and consume as they pleased. That wasn't the law of the land so they were doing it illegally while trying to amass large enough numbers to pose a threat. Spirit World wasn't allowed to handle it, since the perpetrators were on the Demon World side of the line, but the kings were stalling and pushing blame around.

Such is the way of a bureaucracy. Petty nonsense, all of it.

"Get out. That way." Shinpi nodded her head toward the tree line and the ragged looking bunch of humans rushed in that direction. She spun around and whipped out her bow, an arrow already knocked and released it into the chest of another attacker.

A tickle on her nape made her back straighten, an all too familiar energy coming closer.

She could run. Koenma was specific that she wasn't to be found out. It would have immediate and dire consequences. But then again…

The idea of testing Hiei's strength without him knowing it was her was too delicious to pass up. So she dispatched her last foe and waited where she could be easily spotted, her smirk hidden under the fabric of her balaclava.

Hiei walked in on steady feet. The figure in the middle of the compound seemed to be waiting for him because at the first hint of his presence they lifted their head and sent two arrows his way. He evaded them easily, furious that his Jagan couldn't breach their mind. No wonder Mukuro had needed him.

The place was an utter disaster. Bodies everywhere.

"It's your bad luck I'm in a foul mood." Hiei launched into his assault, sword drawn. The figure didn't move and he smirked.

Over confident fool.

But then he was left shaking in his rage as his sword bit through air, the apparition gone. The feeling of a knife against the side of his neck made him snarl. He spun around and the demon tossed his swiping hand to the side. They locked up that way for a moment, Hiei swinging and attempting to get the knife from their hands and them evading capture like a pro. A fist pounded against his breastbone and sent him skidding backwards over the ground.

The figure tipped their head to the side, and without being to see their expression it was difficult to determine if the look was curiosity or arrogance. Hiei opted for the latter and let it fuel him as he launched into another attack. They slid away from him before he could get too close and then gestured toward his leg with a single finger.

Hiei glanced down. Nothing. When he raised his attention they were gone. He yelled out in rage. _This_ had not helped quell his frustration. Without hesitation he put his fist through the closest wall, then the other and continued to beat at the brick and stone until it was nothing but gravel at his feet.

From the safety of a distant rooftop, Shinpi watched him, cloaked in shadow. What she would give to get a better taste of _this_ Hiei. Of his pure, vicious anger. No holds barred. God, it would be so sweet. Her teeth found her lip.

She needed to get out of here. If he'd gotten much closer he'd have recognized her. Next time she'd take more precautions to avoid being found out. Taking a step away, she cast him one more glance, a hot pang of desire wracking through her.

Maybe next time she'd have her hand forced.

She also might just leave this little encounter out of her report lest Koenma get any ideas to pull her from these missions.

* * *

It had been a brief return to Mukuro's, all things considered, before Hiei found himself back in Human World.

The fire demon stood in Shinpi's room with little regard to what she'd do if she found him there. He honestly wondered if she'd even care at this point. After all, they were _best friends_ weren't they? The words still left an unpleasant coating on his tongue despite him coming to terms with their truth in some ways. There were limitations imposed by the phrase, and he didn't quite understand what they were. Sooner or later he'd find out, he was certain. His eyes raked over the spines of the books on the shelf next to her desk, which was covered in droplets of water from where he'd snuck in through the window, looking for a specific notebook.

With the woman gone there was no way for her to stop him from getting ahold of her journal.

Normally he wouldn't be so interested, but it was the pains she went through to keep it from him that drove him to take it. Old habits. Anything worth protecting that much held value, even if it wasn't monetary, and things of value caught his attention. He found the notebook he was looking for and smirked.

Shinpi liked to think she was so clever. She always pretended to be a step ahead. But the joke was on her.

He cracked the notebook open and flipped the pages quickly before a frown steadily grew on his face. What sort of nonsense was this now?

Dated entries, all about him. It was all drivel. Describing his eyes, his clothes, his attitude, all on different pages. He snorted and searched for the most recent entry. Then he heaved a burdened and annoyed sigh.

 _Did you really think I'd just leave it sitting around?_

 _Hiei, please._

 _You know me better than that._

 _Try harder, darling._

That unruly wench. Hiei closed the book with a snap and shoved it back into its spot on the shelf before glancing around the room. She had it hidden _somewhere_. He would find it. If he were an arrogant, clever woman where would he put his secrets?

He lifted the mattress of her bed and found nothing underneath. Then he opened the drawers of her desk. Oddly immaculate, everything in a precise order. Out of spite he rearranged her pens and notecards. When his search turned fruitless he moved to her dresser, yanking open drawers and shifting the clothes around and finding nothing.

When he pulled open the top drawer on the right he stared at the contents for a long second. Even he knew what it would look like if he was caught rummaging through the woman's panties. But maybe that was her plan? It _would_ be a good spot to hide a journal. Determined, he decided the consequences were worth the risk and went about examining the drawer.

The presence upstairs made Shinpi smile as she shut her front door behind her quietly, hanging her drenched raincoat on its beg above her rain boots. Hiei was in her room. There were a handful of reasons why that might be so she eased her way up the stairs without a sound to try to see what he was up to. What she stumbled upon was the man ransacking her underwear with a look of utter consternation.

"You don't like the red silk?" She asked seriously, eying the pair of panties in his hand as she watched him jump.

Hiei whirled around to face her, the small garment clutched in his fist as his eyes widened. Then he stared down at it before tracing his gaze back to the woman as she crossed the room. When she reached for the panties he released them without a fight.

"They match your eyes. Hmm. I knew this color reminded me of something." She lifted them up and glanced between them and Hiei's face. "It's one of my new favorite shades. Shame you seem disappointed, I bought a bra to match."

Hiei glanced at the crimson silk, then to her and then his eyes dipped down to her chest for a microsecond before darting upwards again.

"If you wanted to see my panties you could have just asked." Shinpi teased him walking to the drawer and depositing the garment inside. Then with a questioning look she eyed him. "Unless this is your thing? Do you enjoy pawing through women's underwear without them knowing? Seems a little deviant, but I'll try not to judge."

"This was not sexual." Hiei ground out hotly.

"Mhmm." Shinpi raised her eyebrows and closed the drawer. "Find anything you liked?"

He tensed and glared at her, but he'd known this might happen. Pursing his lips, he waited for her to berate him for invading her privacy. When she didn't, his glare deepened.

"Wow, you must really dislike my taste in underwear." She assessed his expression and then shrugged.

"What?" Hiei's glare loosened as he blinked. Then he frowned. "No, that's not-"

"So you did like them?" She leaned against the dresser with her hip, smiling. "What was your favorite?"

"I didn't have a favorite. I wasn't paying attention to them." Hiei gestured to the drawer. "I was looking for something."

"Well that's not helpful. I'm disappointed, Hiei. If you're going to rifle through my lingerie, you should at least have the decency to tell me what you like about it." Shinpi exhaled and rolled her eyes away, tossing her hands into the air as she made her way for the door. "You better be ready with an actual answer next time, perv."

"I'm not a pervert!" Hiei called after her but she ignored him, closing the door behind her.

He glanced at the drawer, then the door. Was she really upset he couldn't answer her inane question? What was she expecting him to say? Or was this another of her games? He could check again. He shook the idea out of his head and marched for the door. What did it matter if he had an answer or not, she didn't buy the stuff with him in mind. Besides, it was all just flimsy cuts of fabric anyway. As he passed the drawer he stopped and looked at it again. Then he continued on his path.

"No need to rush, you can finish whatever it was you were doing." Shinpi announced as he entered the kitchen. "I'm just now starting to make lunch."

"I wasn't investigating your underwear." He stated firmly.

"Okay." She shrugged, glancing at him.

"Okay?" He scowled. "Just okay?"

"I believe you." Shinpi went back to chopping vegetables.

"Why?" He demanded. "Any other woman would have lost it if they'd come home to a man elbow deep in their panty drawer."

"And any other man caught would be able to tell her his favorite." She shot back.

Hiei stared at her. "Are you actually upset or are you just teasing me? I honestly can't tell."

"Why would I be upset? If you're not into lingerie it saves me the trouble of having to wear any." Shinpi turned to him with a heated look.

Hiei's tongue slid over his bottom lip before he realized he had taken a few steps toward her. Then he caught himself, swallowed and retracted.

"Now I'm teasing you." She pointed the knife at him absently. "What have you done to deserve me dressing up for you? Nothing, that's what. I wear and _don't_ wear whatever I want when Iwant. You play absolutely no role in that decision making process."

She turned back around and Hiei walked over to her, leaning against the counter beside her.

"That's good because I don't care what you wear." Hiei told her, watching her prepare lunch.

"Which is why you don't get an opinion."

"So, if I did care, I'd get one?"

"I would take it under advisement." She hedged and moved around him to start the rice. "So, aside from looking for things that aren't yours in places you don't rightly belong, what have you been getting up this last week?"

"I went back to Mukuro's." Hiei told her.

"You came back quick." She frowned. "Did something happen?"

She knew damn something _had_ happened, but she wasn't going to tell him that. It was hard keeping a grin from overtaking her expression.

He scowled and she dropped it. She continued to work around him, making a few comments about him being more than welcome to help. Hiei ignored the prompt and watched her. She glanced at him a few times, then eventually shook her head and sighed.

"Well, as riveting as your silence is I'll have to interrupt it." Shinpi declared. "The group is going to a festival this weekend. If you're around you should come."

"No." Hiei flattened his expression. "I don't enjoy events where humans cram themselves together like cattle and then fuss over trivial nonsense."

She looked like she wanted to argue for a moment then thought better of it.

"Well, you'll be missed." She assured him and went back to preparing their meal without another word about it.

Hiei scowled. Her cooled tone made him uncomfortable.

"What's the point of those festivals anyway?" He asked gruffly. "It's just an excuse to waste money and-"

"Spend time together." She finished his sentence and brought him to silence with her quiet words. "I've always enjoyed festivals."

Maybe it was the way her eyes glistened slightly when she looked at him, or the softness of her voice as though she were asking him to understand something. Either way, he found his hand wrapping around her forearm.

"Show me." He told her, scanning her expression.

With a slightly fractured smile, she nodded and closed her eyes. The memory came quickly, as though it was always there in the forefront of her thoughts. Maybe it was.

A smile, so luminous it hurt to gaze at directly. Eyes full of golden light, radiating warmth and love the likes of which had never been matched. Smooth skin decorated by petal pink lips, a dark fringe of lashes that pressed to the woman's cheeks when she closed her eyes and to her flame red eyebrows when her eyes were open. Hair that could've made the sunset weep for its color and luster.

And a name, lost on time's tongue but breathed with adoration and reverence as Hiei studied the memory.

 _Kuya_.

Shinpi's twin. The other half of her soul. The yang to her yin. The sun to her storm.

"We're going to be late for the festival, Hichi. Get ready. I worked hard on your kimono." Kuya pouted playfully, tugging at her sister's hand and arm. "You promised."

"I remember." Shinpi's voice sounded foreign to him, yet familiar. Softer, cooler, but also lighter and full of life and humor.

"Let me do your hair, Hichi. I want to make it lovely tonight." Kuya plucked at a strand of red that matched her own, pursing her lips. "You never do anything lovely with your hair."

"Whatever you want, Kuya."

The instantaneous compliance made Hiei still, rolling over his spine with familiarity. The sense of adoration and love that accompanied the memory ate at him. Shinpi loved her family so much. More than she had ever loved herself. It was almost relieving to know this had always been true, but also just as concerning.

He broke free of the memory when Kuya kissed her sister's head, a sense of peace washing over the woman whose arm he held. He couldn't stand it anymore. He had to get out. He dropped his hold and stepped back a half-step as though the space could protect from the confusing emotions he was experiencing. The act didn't help him as Shinpi scoured his face and then turned herself away. Her voice remained light but the fact she wasn't looking at him caused discomfort to curl through him.

"Thanks for trying to understand." She offered and set about grabbing bowls.

* * *

Hiei took over the spare room again and Shinpi didn't question it at all. They shared the house without much an issue. Shinpi came and went as she pleased and so did Hiei. They tended to eat together in the evenings and depending on Shinpi's schedule, the mornings. Beyond that neither had really made an effort to include the other in their business. Something that seemed to bother Hiei more than it bothered the woman.

She didn't tell him what she was up to, where she was going, or invite him to join like she had previously. And without him _needing_ to go with her, he found it hard to ask about what she was up to. Where was she so early in the morning when he woke up? All that talk about them being _friends_ and yet she offered him nothing.

She'd even stopped with those stupid, flirtatious and teasing comments. It didn't matter what he did around her. Things that normally would have activated a heated glance or a smooth response created nothing but silence. Even when he'd stripped his shirt off after sparring with Yusuke.

He learned more from Kurama, who he'd taken to spending most of his time with again, than he did from the woman herself.

It felt…wrong.

"She's been spending a lot of time with Shizuru and Keiko." The fox explained as they walked down the street together.

Shizuru. He guessed that made sense. After all, Shinpi had expressed interest in her months ago. Had they started a relationship? Is that why she was so cold around him now?

He didn't like it.

"What are they doing that's so important?" Hiei groused.

"Perhaps you should ask her yourself." Kurama offered with a coy smile.

"She's not talking to me." The shorter man sank into his shoulders. "She's been unusually quiet this week."

"Perhaps she's waiting for you to show interest." The redhead suggested. Hiei glanced at him. "Shinpi expressed some discontent with your constant silence."

"She told you that?" Crimson eyes scanned down the fox then shifted forward. "What else did she say?"

"That she wished you showed as much interest in her as she shows in you. Since you don't she's decided to flip the script, in her words." Kurama played with a few strands of his hair, frowning at the split ends he found. "Maybe you should breach the silence."

Hiei considered it. "Maybe."

"Oh, are you coming to the festival? I asked Shinpi if she'd invited you and she didn't actually answer me." The redhead frowned.

"I told her no." Hiei shrugged.

He didn't mention the memory or how it had affected him. Or that Shinpi hadn't really spoken to him much since. While he didn't doubt that she'd told Kurama the truth, she was likely treating him the way she perceived him treating her, he thought that maybe his reaction had something to do with her silence too.

She didn't come home that night, so he didn't get the chance to confront her about it. How did she do that? He felt like every time he wanted to speak to her directly about something she disappeared. It was like she could _sense_ when he wanted to talk to her. He fell asleep in his room, annoyed.

He woke up to the sound of the shower. When he left his room, once the water stopped, he noticed a corded necklace dangling on the door handle leading to his room. A key? Curious, he stole the necklace and walked over to the bathroom, knocking on the door.

"I'm decent, but you'll have to go downstairs if you need to use the restroom." Shinpi called and he pushed the door open.

"What is this?" Hiei asked her, holding the key up for her to see.

"It's your house key." She stared at him through the mirror before going back to applying her makeup. "I finally got one made for you so that you don't have to come in and out through the windows. I thought, since you practically live here, it might be helpful."

A key? To the house? Hiei looked down at the little piece of metal as it rested against his palm. She couldn't be too mad at him if she was giving him this.

Right?

She didn't say anything else, engrossed in her activity. Hiei watched her through the mirror for a few quiet seconds before walking over and leaning against the wall between the counter and the toilet so he could see what she was doing better.

"Do you need something?" She asked him curiously.

"I've never seen you put on makeup before." He told her.

She made a noise and it sounded nervous to him. Then she smiled, and that was a little nervous too.

"Can I stay?" He asked.

"If you really want." Shinpi nodded. "I can't imagine this is actually that interesting."

"It is." He assured her and she glanced at him then went back to it. "Why are you putting on makeup anyway? You never wear it."

"I figured if I was dressing up I might as well go all the way." She shrugged while picking out an eyeshadow to compliment her kimono.

Hiei glanced down the robe she wore, tied a little loosely so it dipped open a little too much in the front. Dress up?

"The festival is today." He surmised and she nodded before applying the color to her eyelids. "I've decided to go."

That made her stop what she was doing. She didn't look at him. "Why?"

 _Because you want me to but won't ask again_ , he thought but didn't vocalize. "Why not?"

Shinpi's expression turned skeptical as she raked her eyes over him, but she didn't question him. She went back to applying eyeshadow.

"Well, I'm sure the group will be happily surprised." She offered and he nodded.

"Do I have to dress up?" He asked her, frowning.

"You don't have to do anything, Hiei."

He watched as she lined her eyes with kohl, then painted her eyelashes until they were double their usual thickness and seemed longer than usual. It was mesmerizing, watching her transform before his very eyes. A crimson gaze traced the movement of the brush she used to apply her lipstick, a red so deep it made him think of ripe berries and he wondered if her lips tasted that sweet. Swallowing, he tried to pull his mind up from the pit of his stomach.

Between the way the color on her eyes made her cobalt eyes shine and the way the red on her lips made him want to taste them he was having a hard time winning this particular internal battle.

She said he could kiss her if he wanted to. Her words.

He wanted to smear that pretty lipstick out of place, curl his hands in her hair and listen to her pant his name. She reached for a bottle of perfume and he placed his hand over hers.

"Don't." He breathed the word, his tone rough.

Shinpi's expression softened, her head tilting to the side as she watched him struggle to give a reason for his interference. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. She smiled warmly.

"Alright, Hiei." She pulled her hand back and then released her hair from the clip on the back of her head. Wielding a curling iron, she began the long process of curling her curtain of dark hair. Hiei watched this too, his attention rapt. She eventually pulled back most of the curls into knot that she pushed a hair stick through. A few strands curled around her face, framing her jaw and falling over the front of her shoulders.

When she unplugged the device and put her makeup away Hiei started out of his stupor. "You're done?"

"Well, I have to get dressed but then yes, I'm done." She told him with a warm smile. "You should get ready too, so we can meet up with the others."

She left him in the bathroom and he was glad for the privacy because even the coldest shower wasn't clearing his mind. No, that he had to do himself. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Kazuma, look at this!" Yukina pointed to a mask on display and laughed when Kuwabara tried it on.

Hiei rolled his eyes. The detective and his woman equally as entranced with one another, teasing each other as though the events a few weeks ago had never happened. Shizuru had boasted that Keiko was her greatest work to date, the woman's long brown hair twisted up into a style that seemed far too elaborate to Hiei. All the women wore makeup and kimonos, their hair done up and Hiei realized this was an excuse for the lot of them to play dress up.

His eyes continuously strayed to Shinpi as she studied the many booths and patrons around them. Her eyes never seemed to stop moving for long.

"Hey Red, let's go get something to drink." Shizuru locked arms with Kurama who blinked in surprise then smiled at her. She tugged him away from the others.

"You're okay with that?" Hiei asked Shinpi, raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had designs on her."

"Hmm?" Shinpi blinked, then looked around. "On who?"

"Kuwabara." Hiei supplied, hands in his pockets. "She just ran off with Kurama."

"Oh." Shinpi shrugged, because this was exactly according to plan. "Good for them."

So she wasn't _that_ interested in the other woman, he smirked. Good. He realized that Kuwabara and Yukina had disappeared too. Keiko pulled on Yusuke's arm, drawing him away from the throng. Hiei frowned. So much for this being about spending time together. Shinpi didn't seem bothered in the least by their departure.

"Are you hungry? I'll buy." Shinpi offered, nodding toward a line of food stalls. Hiei eyed them and then shrugged. She leaned close to him, nearly brushing against him but not quite. "You don't have to force yourself, Hiei. You're not enjoying yourself."

"Why don't you show me how it's done?" He asked her with a sly expression. "I've never really cared about these events. I don't know what to do."

"Putting me in control? How charming." She wound her arm around his, pulling him toward a food stall.

Hiei relaxed when she grabbed him. He caught himself in the act of it. It had only been a few weeks. Why did he feel so relieved that she was touching him again?

"You never did tell me what you got up to while you were serving your master." Shinpi still spoke of Mukuro with barely contained scorn, but she tried to tone it down in Hiei's presence.

Hiei growled quietly, instantly reminded of that _thing_ he'd allowed to escape from him. He was going to find that damn demon and he was going to make them pay for their insolence. He'd cut their arrogance to pieces along with their pathetic body.

"That good?" She asked, eying his expression as they neared the front of the line. She placed their order and paid then collected their food, passing some to Hiei before prying again. "What happened, Hiei?"

"I was sent to investigate some idiot killing demons near the border." Hiei groused, snorting when someone shot him a curious glance. Shinpi giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. He shot the person a harsh look. "I showed up to a _massacre_ and whoever it was didn't seem all that scared of me. I tried to fight them but they _ran_ like a _coward_. Such a disgrace."

He tore into his food with a snarl, glower firmly in place.

Meanwhile, Shinpi tried her best not to choke on her own food because she was trying not to laugh or give anything away. He was so _mad_. She almost wanted to tell him.

But, even more so, she wanted to face him again. She wanted to test out this ire of his under the cloak of anonymity.

"You'll get them next time." She assured him with all the confidence in the world. Mostly because she was going to make it happen. Or, at least she was going to make sure Hiei _thought_ that was what was happening.

"Hn." Hiei huffed. Then he looked around at all the people. "What's so special about these festivals to you, Shinpi? That memory, you had these in your homeland didn't you?"

He'd been wanting to ask her about it for days. She rarely showed him anything from her former life. It must've been important to her.

"We held one a year." Shinpi nodded, stopping to eye some trinkets at a stand. "The Festival of Fireflies."

"Fireflies?" Hiei screwed up his face and she smiled at him, then directed him away from the crowd. They found themselves resting on a quiet hill under a tree, overlooking the festivities.

Her explanation came out softly, full of warmth he was starting to associate with her good memories. He wouldn't mind hearing that tone more often.

"It was a marriage celebration. Everyone in our territory got married on the same day and we spent the whole week celebrating joinings new and old. It was always beautiful and lively, full of life and light. Fireflies only have one mate, one who matches their frequency. It was a lovely sentiment."

Something about her tone gave him the impression that she no longer put stock into such ideas.

As the sun set, her smile grew. Fireflies came to life around them and he recalled one of their first encounters when she'd strutted from the woods in the park with Shikari. "You like fireflies."

"I do. I think they're beautiful. When I was a child I used to wait all year for the festival. I just liked the lights and the bugs. I'd capture some and put them in a jar." She grinned and it was the most honest expression he'd seen from her weeks.

He forced himself to stop staring at her mouth so he could focus on her words.

"They always died." She made an apologetic face. "Even when I added sticks and leaves. As I got older I realized I didn't need to capture them to enjoy them. I could watch them from a distance and be just as happy."

Shinpi shifted just slightly, just a little closer, her pinky covering his. Hiei looked down at their hands and said nothing. He moved toward her just a bit, his hand moving further under hers. She smiled, eyes on the glowing insects. They turned to each other at the same time, faces close to each other.

"Hiei, can I kiss you? This just feels like a good moment." She breathed the words, eyes soft and warm.

"Are you going to forget this tomorrow?" He asked with a slight smirk and only a little annoyance at the dredged up memory of their actual first kiss.

"No. Definitely not." She smiled at him, amused that he was still angry about that. Apparently he was never going to let her live it down.

"Then yes." Hiei nodded and she pressed her lips to his and he shivered, any previous uncertainty fleeing him abruptly.

She started softly, a gentle press of lips and Hiei allowed that for a moment. Until she went to pull back, and then his hands found homes in her hair, destroying her carefully crafted work as he pulled her toward him, deepening the kiss with a breathless growl. She made a noise and melted against him, allowing him to drag her into his lap. The kimono made it more awkward than it needed to be but he didn't care.

He'd been daydreaming about this since he'd seen her getting ready. He _needed_ this. And for once he was glad this was her version of friendship when it came to him. The freedom to taste her, to touch her like this, it was enough to fulfill some part of him he hadn't wanted to address. She straddled his legs and he purred against her mouth, wondering what she'd do if he laid her on the grass and slid his hands under the fabric of shielding her body from his.

She pulled back, eyes heavy lidded and mouth swollen. One arm hooked around the back of his neck, the other fisted in his shirt she tried to catch her breath.

"Someone is coming." She told him quietly.

He knew she was warning him so he could decide what to do. Be caught with the woman or disengage. If she was stopping him, it was someone they knew.

And she wasn't sure if he wanted the others to see them, how thoughtful.

With a wordless nod he shifted her off of his lap and licked her lipstick from his lips. Reaching over, he wiped long the line of her mouth, removing where the red had smudged onto her skin. Her breathing hitched and he nearly went after her again but Kuwabara, Yukina, Shizuru and Kurama crested the hill.

"There you two are!" Kuwabara called, waving at them. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Oh?" Shinpi shifted her attention from him to Shizuru and Yukina. Shizuru offered her a subtle thumbs up and it made her smile a knowing smile. Hiei caught the interaction and glanced at her.

"It seems Keiko proposed to Yusuke." Kurama informed them with a grin. "He said yes, naturally."

Hiei turned to Shinpi and caught her shooting him a sly expression. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

"I was specifically told not to interfere." She reminded him, rising to her feet and offering him her hand. Hiei took it and stood as well. "Looks like it's a celebration after all."

Hiei nodded and followed just a few steps behind her toward the others as they all chattered about what happened next. Dinners, parties, the girls went a million miles a minute. Kuwabara joined them and it was Kurama who fell into step beside him.

"That shade of red really compliments you." Kurama suppressed a grin as Hiei frowned, wiping at his mouth.

"Not a goddamn word from you." Hiei warned darkly.

Kurama pantomimed zipping his mouth and throwing away the key and Hiei just grumbled about it quietly until the group rejoined with the detective and his fiancée. Yusuke had tears in his eyes and Keiko in his arms and was spilling all the details of the evening. Hiei's attention strayed to Shinpi who beamed with pure delight at the story and her flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes made him swallow. She caught him looking and flashed that grin toward him.

That foolish shuddering racked through his chest again and he finally recognized it. Affection. Pure and simple.

And he knew, as readily as he knew his own name, that this could only mean trouble.


	32. Cause for Vexation

**A/N: The song Shinpi sings is Any Way You Want It by Journey! Also the end of this snuck on me as I was going to sleep the other night. I hadn't expected it and it throws off my intended outline but, y'know, YOLO folks. I also want to stake a moment to thank you guys for reading. I love reading your reviews and I should probably get better about responding to them. Just know, I do read each one.**

 **You're all wonderful!**

* * *

Hiei walked through the market without much of a purpose other than getting out of the castle. Mukuro was in a mood and he liked to stay out of the way unless they were going to fight it out. He had no patience for her diplomatic prattling. So here he was, scanning tabletops and booths for no particular reason and with nothing in mind.

Several of the citizens gave him wide berth, shooting him alarmed glances.

Maybe he should work on his face. Or maybe they should stop being weak-willed idiots.

Being out here in the throng reminded him of the festival over a month prior. Which in turn reminded him of Shinpi. Those thoughts quickly turned from the way she'd melted against him on the hilltop to that damn smile. Truly this woman would be his undoing in some way.

He'd been keeping a safe distance ever since. A few days after the festival he'd left again, but it had been on decent enough terms with the woman. He hadn't bothered telling her he was going, he knew she'd figure it out. But leading up to that they'd been, for lack of a better word, good. They'd had their meals together, done some sparring, talked a little about how to handle this rogue he was hungry to catch. She didn't kiss him again.

And he didn't kiss her.

That was important for him to keep in mind because he'd wanted to a few times. It was an unusual pattern to work out. Literally none of it made sense to him. It wasn't like she was being actively enticing. In fact, if he were a gambling man, he'd say she was doing the opposite. Instead of wearing shorts to bed she'd started to wear loose pants. That was, if he even saw her in her pajamas because she'd stopped wearing them around the house around him. She wore her sweat pants during sparring and kept her tee shirt on, which was unusual. Unusual and driving him crazy.

Seeing her covered in sweat, hair a mess atop her head, expression fierce and annoyed as they'd gone at it had been a tough image to ignore. He'd wanted to shove her against the side of her house and wrap his hands in her hair.

And something about watching her cook or do dishes brought it out of him too. Maybe it was the domestic aspect of it? Maybe he liked the idea of a woman taking care of him. He didn't know. If he could pinpoint what was triggering these feelings he could taper them. Wanting to touch Shinpi wasn't a problem, he could live with the desire of it. It was the fact it was taking over his mind so easily that bothered him. He couldn't spend all his time locked in thoughts of consuming her.

It was becoming a _distraction_. A distraction he was having to cope with at least twice a day, and that was new too. The space between them was supposed to help curb these ideas and cravings, not make them worse.

Something caught his eye and pulled him from his thoughts, causing him to pivot toward a stall lined with weaponry. Hiei marched over and immediately plucked one of the throwing knives from countertop, inspecting it for flaws. The edge was sharp, the blade itself light as air. The craftsmanship seemed top tier, though the weight suggested some meddling. Was it durable? It needed to be durable. But the color is what really grabbed him.

A gleaming cobalt blue.

"An unusual piece. You have a good eye." The blacksmith manning the stall came forward, nodding toward the knife in Hiei's hand.

"Why is it blue?" Hiei turned the knife over, looking for evidence of paint.

"It's a special ore from the mountains. Incredibly lightweight, but strong. In its raw form it's a dull grey but the heat turns it blue." The man leaned forward with his elbows resting on the counter so he was closer to Hiei's eye level. The demon stood well over six foot by Hiei's estimation, thick dark hair falling into his keen dark eyes.

"How strong?" Hiei demanded, balancing the knife on his finger to find it perfect. Damn, this was a nice weapon. When the turned to stare at the seller he noticed those dark eyes had trailed to his hip.

"Two swords, that's unusual." The man focused a little too intently on the red sheath strapped to Hiei's side. Then he rolled his attention back to the shorter man. "But I suppose for a man with discerning taste it's fairly normal."

"How strong?" Hiei repeated the question, his grip on the knife a little too tight, a little too filled with intention.

If this bastard didn't stop staring at Shinpi's sword he was going to lose an eye. Hiei almost wanted him to glance at it again. He was itching for a fight. He could've done a better job hiding the blade on his person, but what fun was that? If it was seen on him, then it would draw out the idiots from the woodwork. Draw them to him and away from Shinpi herself, especially while she had on those foolish binds.

"They aren't for me. I want to know they'll stand up to test in battle." Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"You should try them out." The blacksmith suggested, keeping his attention carefully trained on Hiei's face.

The man then picked one of the blades up himself. It took him a second of rigging to dangle a large bone from a string toward the back of his stall. Then he gestured for Hiei to throw the knife, standing carefully out of the way. The blade sliced through the makeshift target, embedding in the wood at the back of the stall.

"I'll take them."

"Sir."

Hiei turned to stare at the demon who ran up to him. "He's back."

With a pleased and mildly malicious smirk, excited for the possibilities this might bring to him, Hiei nodded. He threw some money into the hand of the blacksmith and turned away.

"Send them to the castle. I've got business to attend to." Hiei spoke over his shoulder before flitting away, adrenaline already pumping in his veins.

This bastard was getting bolder. Hiei had already encountered him once three weeks ago and had managed to land a hit on the demon's ribs that sent the creature scurrying back. Hiei had pursued, but he lost the trail fairly quick. It was his good fortune the fool had a death wish. Maybe he'd be able to mount the idiot's head on a plaque.

He cloaked his energy, approaching on quiet feet. If he got the drop on them this time he could end this.

Except it was his neck that felt the cold presence of a knife pressed against it, the sharp point welling up a drop of blood in the hollow at the base of his skull. He whirled around and his opponent swept under his arm with ease, slashing the knife across his chest and ripping through his shirt in the process.

Dammit, this was the second one this asshole had ruined. He was going to need to get more soon.

Shinpi was glad for the balaclava because Hiei would've been absolutely furious if he could see the way she was grinning at him. Her eyes trailed to his side, and then her head tipped to the left. The second he noticed where her gaze landed he shifted his body to keep her sword from view, teeth bared and eyes narrowed.

"Do you work for that bastard?" Hiei demanded, his stance morphing into something far deadlier than he'd been offering in their last encounters.

She didn't respond, because she never did. Hiei would undoubtedly recognize her voice. As it was, she tried to keep as much space between them as possible. While they were fighting it was fine, but in these lulls she didn't want him to have too much time to study her so she began to pace around him.

"Answer me."

She just continued to stare.

"Do you work for Hiro?" He clarified. "I'll have your intestines pulled out of your body to decorate-"

She lunged for him, her foot axing down in a kick that forced his hands up to block. Even without her energy she was fast. She was strong.

Coming against Hiei like this was dangerous, but it fueled her. It made her aware of her blind spots and her weaknesses and she used every bruise, scrape and cut to rebuild herself from the bottom up. He had no idea what a great service he was offering to her but she took advantage all the same. She'd tell him sometime.

When the heat died down.

Maybe the heat would never die down, she guessed as Hiei met her blow for blow with the air around him scalding. She sort of didn't want _his_ heat to die down.

Her grin grew until it evaporated all at once, her eyes bulging. Blood flowed down her side from the newly formed gash. Hiei smirked at her, his sword drawn and doused in red.

Well shit.

She hadn't even seen him move. He had gotten faster. It was so exciting and his expression fed into a dark part of herself that she thought she'd buried. Brows coming down she shoved her hand into her pocket and produced three small spheres, throwing them out. Hiei tried to jump back but they landed home all the same, the smoke pouring from them acrid but not harmful.

His eyes would sting and his throat would hurt but he'd be intact and able to defend himself.

Using the cover of the smokescreen Shinpi turned and fled, her palm barely staunching the crimson tide spilling down her side. She heard Hiei swear and pushed herself to run faster as she tried not to leave a blood trail straight to her back door.

* * *

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Honestly, Shinpi was surprised it hadn't happened before, given how often people just seemed to be at her house whether she was there or not.

She'd assumed, somewhere in the back of her mind, that it would be Kurama to find out first. He had that way about him. So when Yusuke jumped to his feet from the couch when she staggered in through the sliding glass door she was mildly caught off guard. They faced each other without a word, his eyes scanning down her all black attire to the blood coating her hand as it pulsed from her wound. Shinpi just kicked off her shoes and made her way to the half-bath to deposit her bag and retrieve one of her first aid kits.

"What the hell happened to you?" Yusuke demanded, tossing the controller onto the couch as he forgot about the game he'd been playing. He entered the bathroom without hesitation, not really caring that he caught her in the middle of peeling a blood-soaked shirt over her head.

"What's it look like?" She hissed as she pressed around the wound, grabbing a stained towel and wetting it to clean the area some so she could see it better.

"Looks like you got your shit wrecked." He informed her hotly, marching over and jerking the cloth from her hands. When she snapped a protest at him he glared. "Shut up and let me help you, jackass."

With pursed lips she relented. "Fine."

Yusuke wasn't the best medic on the team. To be frank, the boy actually came in last in that department. He wasn't used to wrapping wounds, that much was evident in his clumsy fingers and the amount of times he swore when the gauze didn't do what he wanted as he unrolled it around her middle. Shinpi had to direct him through it, reminding him to sterilize the gash first. Then put gauze pad over it, good, good. It's not really necessary to wrap the gauze around like that, but alright. Sure. It is how they do it in the movies. Knock yourself out, I've got more. Tie off like that, perfect.

"Where's your booze? You look like you need a drink." He pulled back, assessing his handiwork.

"I don't keep alcohol in the house." She informed him, moving onto stripping out of her pants. She tossed them into the washer with her shirt and jacket, added detergent and set it to heavy soil. It was only then that Yusuke turned red in the face, spinning around on heel to avoid looking at her.

"You shouldn't just start taking off clothes without warning a guy, y'know?" He huffed, his back to her.

"You adorable little prude." Shinpi teased him, reaching into a pile of folded clothes that set atop the dryer. She donned a pair of loose fitting pants and a baggy shirt. "What do you care about my body? You're not attracted to me."

"Doesn't matter." He shrugged. "Kuwabara would've had a heart attack."

"Aw, he is precious in that way, isn't he?" She flashed him a grin as she passed him on the way out of the room to get into the kitchen. "I used to change in front of my guards all the time. Most of them were men. Not to mention when we were in the field facing Mukuro's hoards it's not like I had a separate tent."

"That's great and all your highness, but here in the real world, that's not how it works." He grumped, following her into the kitchen. "I hope you at least got as good as you gave."

"Unfortunately not." She grimaced.

"Who was it?"

"Can't say." Shinpi shrugged, going about fixing herself a small snack to tie her over. It was well into the evening and she hadn't eaten since breakfast. She needed to eat before she could focus on making an actual meal.

"Hey, if you're in trouble, you know you can tell me right?" Yusuke leaned against the wall by the kitchen's entrance, frowning at her.

"I'm fine, but thank you." She assured him warmly.

"Where were you?" He pressed and that made her shoulders tense for a second before she loosened them.

"It's not important." Shinpi turned around to face him with the words. "Yusuke, I know this isn't what you want to hear, I know you're trying to help, but I need you to leave this alone."

He stared at her for a hard second, then nodded one. "Fine. But if you show up bleeding to death again, call me, alright? You'll eventually cave and tell me what's going on."

"So, what were you playing when I so rudely interrupted by coming into my own house to which you don't have a key?" Shinpi abruptly changed the subject and he allowed it, diving into the details of the game he was playing and how annoying but fun it was.

* * *

Kurama had to admit, it was nice having someone play with his hair. Shinpi had him sitting backwards in a chair as she braided his mass of red locks. Perched on the table, toes resting on the edge of Kurama's seat, she loosened the plaiting and detangled the strands with her fingers right after finishing.

"Dude, you're drooling." Yusuke tossed himself down next to the redhead, his chair scraping over the floor as he did so.

"Hardly." Kurama mumbled, eyes closed as he smiled, chin resting on his folded arms. "Would you like me to return the favor, Hichi?"

She finished forming his hair into a ponytail and then tied it up. "I wouldn't say no."

"You two just going to do each other's makeup all night or are we going to make fool of ourselves?" Yusuke put his foot on the side of Kurama's chair and pushed, wobbling the fox from his reverie. "Come on."

"He's right." Shinpi spoke quietly, knowing both men could hear her. "We're for a reason, aren't we? We should get on with it. But I'll take you up on that offer later."

Kurama straightened himself and looked over his shoulder at her. "You're sure?"

"Positive." She nodded and then smiled brightly, but the expression didn't quite touch her eyes. Again, in that quiet voice. "My intel says they should be here."

Yusuke nodded subtly and kept his eyes open. Of all the places for a demon to hide. Through whatever grapevine she had that they didn't, Shinpi had heard that a demon hunted this place and picked off humans. They disguised themselves so she urged the boys to come with her to try to flush out the culprit.

When Kurama made his way to the stage, Yusuke glanced at Shinpi. "You sure you're alright to be here? I don't have a nose like yours or fox boy's and even I can smell blood on you."

"I've worked with worse." She assured him, sliding off the table to steal Kurama's chair. "Besides, I actually sort of enjoy working with a weakness. It teaches me to try new methods. Learning to compensate in battle in an indispensable skill."

"You ready to talk about it?" He pried and she shook her head. "Oh yeah, Keiko wants to meet up with you for lunch. She asked me to tell you."

* * *

Hiei pulled the corded necklace over his head before using the key to gain access to the house. He wouldn't admit it but having a place to return to where he wouldn't be excessively bothered was enjoyable. And without Shinpi, the house rang of silence. He'd learned the woman didn't particularly enjoy too much quiet.

She played music to fill the absence of sound, either from the radio or the record player. Or she'd put on the television even when she wasn't watching it. But she wasn't here and nothing was on, not even a light. He marched up the stairs and entered his room, noting it hadn't been touched in his weeks away.

In the darkness he shed his cloak, tossing it onto the bed. A canvas parcel slid out from the inner pocket, and he stared at it for a moment before scooping it up and tossing it onto the dresser he didn't use.

After a shower he'd go out and try to locate Kurama. The fox would have been keeping up with Shinpi and would fill him in on anything pertinent. Of course, if the woman came home before he left he could just ask her.

He supposed, he could just go looking for her.

But then again, with how badly he wanted to do just that he decided against it all together. Either Shinpi would return before he left the house or he'd find Kurama. There would be no hunting the woman down.

* * *

After a stop at Kurama's house, where he found an empty bedroom, Hiei wandered to Yusuke's apartment. Keiko informed him the detective had met up with Kurama for a case and gave him the address. It took a little time but he eventually found the place.

It was his great misfortune it was a karaoke bar.

"Hiei! My man! Come to croon?" Yusuke waved at him over the tops of the other seated patrons. Hiei almost decided to leave but he glanced to the detective's side and noticed his company. Hands in his pockets he trudged over.

"Your wife said you were here." Hiei informed him darkly.

"We're not married yet dude, just engaged." Yusuke corrected him with a grin.

That earned a quizzical head tilt. "Why haven't you gotten married?"

"Weddings take time to plan, Hiei." Shinpi announced he cut his attention to her. "It's good of you to join us."

"How much time could they possibly take? You've both agreed to be joined. Just do it already." Hiei frowned.

"Trust me, after hearing how much this might cost I wish this was that easy. But girls like the pageantry of weddings." Yusuke shrugged and Hiei stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Then the fire demon's expression flattened entirely.

"Do yourself a favor and request Keiko open her purse once in a while, detective. Your balls will need the dose of oxygen now and then if they're to survive at all."

Shinpi choked on her drink mid-sip, falling into a raucous fit of laughter that left her leaning on Kurama for support.

"Dude, stop being such a dick." Yusuke griped with a glare. Then he snapped at Shinpi. "It's not that fucking funny!"

"It's actually pretty damn funny." She assured him, doing her best to stifle the fit none the less. "Hiei, it's a human thing."

"Not exclusively. You said your homelands celebrated weddings in an outlandish manner too." Hiei pointed out to her. Then he hissed. "This isn't traditionally a week-long endeavor is it? I will not be involved in such a frivolous waste of time."

Shinpi's eyebrows rose and her eyes settled on Hiei with a pressure he felt on his nape. "Hiei?"

"What?" He narrowed his eyes.

"You're prettier when you don't speak." She informed him coolly and this time it was Yusuke who choked on his soda. "Don't come in here just to pick a fight."

She gestured to a chair next to Kurama and Hiei took it with a snarl.

"This is an absurd waste of time." Hiei complained, one foot against the table's edge as he pressed himself flush against the booth's back.

"You're free to go." Kurama raised an eyebrow. "I can meet up with you later."

"Do you actually enjoy this?" Hiei turned toward the fox. "It doesn't seem your style."

"It's surprisingly easy to get into it with the right crowd."

Hiei wrinkled his nose and went back to glaring to the current singer. "Sure."

Shinpi caught the mounting tension, eyes darting to them before she took her turn. If Hiei was going to be a grump the least she could do was try to salvage his mood. And the night. She didn't like the frown on Kurama's face.

Hiei leaned forward, lowering his foot from the table to fold his arms on the surface. He hadn't seen Shinpi sing since he'd been her guardian during her finals. Would she offer another soulful performance? Bare her heart once more? It seemed like a masochistic thing to do in front of all these people.

But when the music started it wasn't the slow belting whine of her violin. It was sharper, louder, more riotous. Shinpi grabbed the mic stand and started to sing with more fervor than he had witnessed at the university. Her wide grin held more charm than usual, and she seemed determined to overact the whole performance. When she pointed at Hiei, directed a few glances his way he merely glared back at her.

Let her make a fool of herself.

She started to pretend a guitar in the air, a behavior he'd witnessed from Kuwabara and Yusuke on a few occasions. Strutting across the stage she drug the mic stand with her. It was toward the end of the song that she seemed to forget about the device all together, hopping off the stage and sliding on her knees to within feet of the group's table. Pointing at Hiei again she held her hand out to him and sang the last lines of the song.

And she saw the minute her plan was successful, his annoyed veneer cracking as he let a smile slip onto his face. Her heart rate doubled at the sight of it, more than pleased for the honor of seeing it.

"You're an absolute fool. I regret that I know you." Hiei tried to appear irritated but his teeth showed when he smiled for a second before hiding the expression by turning his head. "Why do I even tolerate you?"

"Because my butt looks cute in these jeans?" She guessed, getting to her feet and dusting off her knees.

Even Kurama laughed at that. Hiei snorted and rolled his eyes, refusing to even acknowledge that she'd spoken. Sitting down at the table, Shinpi prompted him to explain his poor attitude. When he complained about facing a demon in black, not once but twice, and them escaping both times Yusuke blinked. Shinpi nodded along to Hiei's complaints, offering simple support.

"I got the bastard good the last time, but I lost his trail. He threw some sort of smoke bomb at me. Fucking _coward_." Hiei groused, arms folded over his chest as he glowered to the side. "I'm going to rip his head off his shoulders. I'm surprised he was able to get away so quickly with the wound I left on his side."

Yusuke put his foot on the edge of the table and used it to leverage himself onto the back two legs of his chair, his eyes fixed to Shinpi who glanced at him. With a secret smile she held a single up to her lips. It was a quick moment, but one he didn't miss.

Shinpi got out of her chair and sat down next to Hiei, too close for his comfort. She offered him a smile and it made him curl his hand on his thigh, but he refused to look away from her this time. He had to get a grip on this. Maybe more exposure would lessen the effects. So he didn't look away. He merely inclined his head slightly.

"What would it take to get you to do me a favor?" She asked him, turning her attention to scanning the room.

"What sort of favor?" Hiei asked.

"The sort that only you can do." Shinpi turned back to him, her hand moving up to his shoulder as she tipped her head closer, voice growing soft. "There's a demon somewhere in here, but they are disguised. You can find them. It'll save us all some trouble."

"Hn. Child's play." Hiei assured her, leaning back with his eyes closed as the Jagan opened. "But even if it is easy, I'll still come up with a price for you to pay."

His smirk made her chuckle once, nodding. Kurama and Yusuke glanced at each other. The fire demon opened his eyes and he put his hand on the back of Shinpi's neck, projecting an image into her mind. He didn't need to touch her to do it, but it was as good an excuse as any. She stiffened under the contact, her eyes widening before she turned to look at him with a nod.

She went to stand and he tightened his fingers on the back of her neck. "Yes, Hiei?"

"Don't be stupid." He warned her, eyes narrowed before he released his hold. "I won't come save you and I won't let the others either."

"As if I need your help." Shinpi got to her feet and pulled the hair tie from her hair so the black strands spilled down her back and over her shoulders, shivering as she shook it out. Tossing them a wave she bid them farewell for the night.

Hiei watched her go. "Maybe I should've given them to her now."

"Huh?" Yusuke squinted at him.

"Nothing." Hiei got to his feet. He'd just wait for her to come home. Then he was gone, leaving the other two men to stare at each other.

"You think it's happened yet?" Yusuke asked, cupping his chin with his hand.

"I'm not sure." Kurama admitted with a sly smile.

* * *

It was an impromptu meet up the next evening at her place, with Yusuke coming over to play games while Shinpi ran through her training with Kuwabara. Kurama had come to meet Hiei and discuss something about the fire demon's time in Demon World. It was a knock at the door that brought Shinpi to her feet and out of the conversation in the living room.

"Koenma?" Shinpi stared at the man in his adult form as he stood on her front step.

"You never called in that you made it back." He informed her quietly, and the tightness to his jaw stood out to her. There were signs of sleepless nights under his eyes and in the frump of his hair.

Shinpi swore an apology under her breath, her posture caving in slightly. "I'm so sorry. Yusuke was here when I got back and he ended up staying for a few hours. I fell asleep and must've forgotten."

"You can't do that." He told her looking undeniably haggard. "You can't forget to check in. I thought you were- I was ready to send the cavalry in after you."

Shinpi softened visibly and nodded. "It won't happen again, Koenma. Come in."

She moved to the side to allow him entry, shooting him a concerned glance. She'd be able to study him better in the brighter lights of the living room.

"You look like shit." Yusuke called to the newcomer as he entered the living room.

"It's been a rough stretch." Koenma flopped into the last open armchair without any of his usual panache or posturing. Shinpi's eyes darted to him before she walked over.

The room stopped when her hands gently cradled his face, turning it up to meet hers so she could better assess the pallor of his skin and the sunken bags under his eyes. He looked alarmed, stock still in her hold as she turned his face one way then the other slowly. It was impossible to guess at her thoughts behind the wall of her neutral expression.

Then she clicked her tongue, released him and headed into the kitchen without a word about it.

Hiei watched her without blinking before turning his eyes to Koenma. Whatever it was that showed on his face made the prince sweat a bit.

"What the fuck was _that_?" Yusuke asked, unable to contain the outburst.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Koenma relaxed some. "I never know how to react when she's that close to me. It's sort of terrifying."

"Like a chill down your spine." Hiei agreed and that earned strange looks so he clamped his mouth shut, and sank into his shoulders as he stood against the wall.

It annoyed him that _he_ had to lean against the wall. He _lived_ here. The rest of these free loading peasants should have to stand. Shinpi had forced him out of a chair when the others arrived with some nonsense about being a halfway decent host. Now he glared at her as she returned from the kitchen with a small tray of snacks and tea that she balanced on the arm of the chair Koenma occupied.

"Drink. It'll help." She patted the top of the prince's head lightly then walked over to perch on the arm of the other chair, putting herself next to Kurama.

Hiei glared at Koenma and then shifted his attention to the side.

"What the hell, why's he get the good snacks?" Yusuke complained with arms crossed as he glared at Shinpi.

"He needs the carbs and protein so the tea doesn't unsettle his stomach." Shinpi tipped her attention toward the detective. "Help yourself to the kitchen, Yusuke. Actually, while you're in there could you grab me a can of coffee?"

He blinked at her, went to protest then got his feet and stomped into the kitchen. "Fuck you, Hichi. I'm getting the stuff on the top shelf. Y'know, the shit you think we don't know you hide from us."

"Knock yourself out."

"Don't just let them have free roam, Shinpi." Hiei snapped at her. "They'll never fucking leave if you allow them to get comfortable."

"Is that why you're hanging around here?" Kuwabara shot at the fire demon who shot him a scathing glare.

"Tell you what, darling, when you start to contribute to the cleaning, cooking or groceries I'll take your requests under advisement." Shinpi smirked at Hiei, angling her head toward him.

"Don't touch those damn chocolates if you value your life. Those are _mine_." Hiei raised his voice toward the kitchen and they all heard Yusuke swear.

"Ah, let the boy have some chocolate." Shinpi continued to giggle. "You're so cruel, Hiei."

"You're too _soft_." He challenged with his own smirk.

"Mom already said I could." Yusuke reentered the room with a snicker.

Hiei made a face of barely contained disgust at the nickname. "Do not refer to her as your mother."

"Come on dad, don't put me out in the cold like this."

"Don't call me dad."

"Mom, dad is trying to abandon me again."

"Why are you here?" Hiei snapped at Koenma, determined to end this line of conversation. "Don't tell me that in my absence you've just made yourself at home here as well."

"No, I was just desperate to get out of the office." The prince admitted. "And you're all here, where else was I supposed to go? The temple? No thank you. If I wanted to be studiously ignored, I'd have just stayed at work."

While the others resumed conversation, Yusuke subtly pulled Shinpi into the kitchen. She blinked up at him before gently prying her arm from his light hold.

"Since when are you and Koenma so cozy?" He demanded quietly.

"We aren't cozy. I just noticed he wasn't at his best." She informed the detective, matching his tone.

"He's got you running side missions, doesn't he?" Yusuke guessed, scanning her expression.

It was the careful neutrality that confirmed it for him. The sudden way she snapped her mask into place answered his question even when she did not.

"Is he forcing you?"

"No." It was sharp, meant to end the discussion.

"Shinpi." Yusuke bowed his head down, adding an edge to her name.

"This is mutually beneficial. I'm providing solutions and in turn I will receive something I want." She glanced toward the living room.

"Does anyone else know?" He pretty much knew the answer already from the way Hiei had described his newest enemy the night before.

"No. I won't stop you from telling them, but I won't be able to continue if you do." She shook her head.

"I'll give you a few more weeks, but if you run into problems I want you to come to me." He held her gaze with a squint. "You hear me? Don't go pulling any dumbass heroics or anything. You can count on me."

"Deal." She stuck her pinky out to him and it made his lips split into a grin as he hooked his pinky around hers.

* * *

Hiei washed the dishes in the sink after breakfast without a complaint, going about the task without being asked. Of all the ways to get some authority in this wretched house, this was fairly painless. If getting his hands wet was all it took then it's what he'd do.

Shinpi sat at the table watching him, mesmerized. Well, wasn't this a strange sensation? Who would have known that something as mundane as seeing Hiei's forearms submerged in water, suds coating his skin as he rinsed the plates, would be this attractive? She drank her tea and forced herself to blink.

She licked her lips and it was at that moment that Hiei looked over to her to ask her something, catching the heat of her gaze before she could sheath it. One eyebrow raised on his forehead, disappearing under his headband as he stared at her, his comment forgotten.

Unable to deny he'd caught her in a moment of sheer lust Shinpi just shrugged, allowing the expression to remain as her eyes roamed the man at her sink. "What can I say, Hiei? You make doing the dishes look damn good. I'm just as surprised as you are."

He glanced at the nearly empty sink, then to the woman at the table. "Really? The _dishes_?"

Once again she shrugged.

What an unfortunate time to have a gash on her ribs. She'd love nothing more than to test those hands out, see if they could deliver on all the whims she'd dreamed up. With a sigh she shook the thoughts out of her head and went back to drinking her tea. Hiei turned off the water and continued to stare at her.

"I didn't say stop." She spoke coolly, that heat barely shuttered when she moved just her eyes to him.

The concealed command made Hiei stiffen slightly, a shiver rolling over his shoulders that he hadn't expected to feel. But with that look on her face, that tone coloring her words, it was hard to deny the shudder of arousal that slipped over him. His lips lifted and he turned back to the sink without a word, complying readily because he _felt_ Shinpi watching him when his back was turned. The sound of her chair moving over the floor preceded her body heat at his back, her arm reaching around him to put her teacup in the sink. Her hands rested on the counter to his left and the rim of the sink to his right, arms boxing him in.

It occurred to him then that they hadn't touched each other in nearly two months just as her chest pressed to his back. He almost crushed the teacup when his hand balled at the contact.

Shinpi watched him wash the cup, which he did twice before realizing it. "Am I bothering you?"

"Yes." He put the dish in the dry rack before turning around in the trap of her arms.

Without further preamble she pressed her mouth to his, the line of her body flush against his and he buried one hand in the hair at the back of her head the other on her hip. He smoothed his hand up her side, following the curve of her waist upwards until she broke the kiss and pulled away.

"Welcome back, by the way." Shinpi licked her lips and then put some space them just as much to keep Hiei from touching the wound on her side as to keep herself from begging him to do something neither of them was rightly prepared for. "It's quiet when you're gone."

She swept herself out of the kitchen after that, moving into the living room where she scooped up the book she'd been reading and delved back into it with purpose. Because if she did it with purpose then she wasn't running away from Hiei. He followed after her a few minutes later and she felt him watch her before he moved to the couch to lay himself out with his eyes closed.

It was sometime later, after Hiei woke up from his nap that he sat up with the sudden realization he'd never gifted the knives to Shinpi. He glanced at her, then went to his room to retrieve the package. Suddenly this felt strange. Was it unusual for someone to buy such a gift for no reason? It wasn't as if there were an occasion to celebrate. What should he say when he gave it to her?

He went with his usual default response and chose to silently throw the swath of canvas onto her lap as she read. Pinning with a glare she picked up the parcel then her expression shifted to one of curiosity. Setting her book to the side with a bookmark saving her place, she untied the twine and unrolled the knives atop her lap. With a sharp inhale she simply stared at them for a second, offering nothing.

Hiei felt tension heat his shoulders.

When she picked one up and balanced it on her finger before flicking it around and testing a few grips he relaxed some. The smile that slowly unfolded seeped the negative thoughts away completely.

"I know you already have a set." He informed as if expecting that line of argument. "But these are lighter. They'll work better with your wind when you take those idiotic binds off."

"I love them."

Hiei had never felt a blush hit him so hard and he did his best cool his face. Her eyes shone when she spoke and try as he might, he was trapped in her gaze and couldn't get away.

She meant every syllable. But she could see Hiei's sudden discomfort and tried not to press the issue even though she wanted to tell him that this was probably one of the most thoughtful gifts she'd received this lifetime. A wave of nostalgia drowned her for a moment. Hiei had no way of knowing this one of the royal colors of her family. Or that she'd once owned a sword made of the same material and it had been her favorite blade before she'd inherited her grandfather's sword. The truth was that it was because he had no idea about any of that she was so touched.

"Thank you." She dipped her head down slightly to show her gratitude and when she raised her eyes she noticed Hiei still gaping at her with something akin to shock on his face.

"They're just knives." He swallowed.

"They are quite lovely though." Shinpi smiled, closing her eyes when she did. She opened them when she felt the tell-tale heat of the fire demon standing near her, right in front of her chair. Crimson eyes scanned over her and then Hiei tentatively reached out and traced the curve of her cheek with two fingers.

He pulled his hand back and walked away, going back to his room and she didn't say a word about it. Calling out those soft moments felt like a surefire way to lose them. So she kept her mouth shut.

It was hours later that she knocked gently on Hiei's door. It took him a minute to answer, pulling the door open to stare at her as if he wasn't quite sure if she would attack him or not.

"The guy I caught last night let spill some details about the group he's involved with. I'm going to go investigate them. Did you want to join me?" She offered, already dressed to go in a sweatshirt and jeans, things she didn't mind ruining. "I thought I'd offer since you've been cooped up all day."

"Intelligence gathering isn't my forte." Hiei told her easily. "That is your and Kurama's strong suit."

"Okay." She nodded, but a pang of disappointment hit her in the guts. She ignored it for the moment.

Hiei saw the crumble of her expression before she corrected it, but he said nothing. Being alone on a mission sounded like a bad idea right now. Her reaction to the knives had been more than he'd anticipated and he wasn't sure how to deal with the needs it gave him.

"Well, don't wait up for me. Could be a wild night of sitting in the dark listening to strangers." She pulled away from his door and shoved her hands into the pocket of her hoodie.

Hiei closed his door and went back to the bed, laying down and staring up at the ceiling. Troubled, he sat back up, suddenly too uncomfortable to keep still. Had she asked him to go because she needed the backup or because she wanted company? She didn't seem overly concerned when he said no. Just bothered, maybe? Discontent with the sudden rush of quiet in the house he left his room to go downstairs. The record player was easy enough to operate. He played the vinyl already in place.

The music did not thing to ease his anxiety.

* * *

Shinpi groaned, blinking her eyes open as best as she could. Even the dim light of the building she'd been hauled into felt too bright and that was worrisome. Where was she? Several bodies meandered about her and with a vain attempt to move her hands she realized she'd been bound to a chair.

What had happened?

Oh. That's right. She'd been outside the warehouse watching the comings and goings of the various demons, all wearing black bandanas over their faces depicting a symbol she didn't recognize. She'd been certain she was well hidden. But then she'd felt a sharp pain across the back of her head and her world swam to black.

How had they gotten the drop on her? She hadn't sensed anyone approaching, nor had she heard them. What the hell were these demons?

"Hey, she's awake." One of them spoke and grabbed her face. She reacted blindly, sinking her teeth into his hand and tearing until she tasted blood. With a snarl she head butted the next demon to grab her and when he bowed over she latched onto his ear with her teeth, an easy enough feat with protruding so far from his skull.

A pipe hit her across the face as she sagged, almost unaware of the next several blows that rained down on her.

Almost.

The assault stopped for a moment and she felt hands on her legs, in her pockets. Frisking her for weapons, most likely. These idiots were smarter than she had given them credit for.

"Make sure the machine is ready. When the Spirit Detectives come, we'll need to move fast." A demon with orange eyes spoke, his tone full of authority. "Once they're disabled, we'll be able to take them out."

He pulled her communication mirror from her pocket and Shinpi bit against the fabric being wrapped around her mouth to gag her, someone tying it behind her head. A few more blows to the face ended the slew of curses she'd been trying to spew.

* * *

"Sir, we have an incoming transmission from Amon-Shinpi's communication mirror." Jorge entered Koenma's office with a frown.

"Well, what are you waiting for, put it through." Koenma snapped at the ogre, eyes fixed to the screen.

What greeted him was not Shinpi's face, but that of a masked assailant. The florescent orange eyes glowing above a black bandana marked with a neon green symbol. Koenma felt himself grow cold, a sweat breaking out on his forehand and between his shoulder blades. A bead of it ran down his spine.

"You're speaking to Prince Koenma, Lord of the Judgement Gate." Koenma swallowed. "You're using a private communication device. State you business."

"You don't have a lot of right to be making demands, Koenma."

The prince stiffened.

"See, the way I see it, we have all the power here. We have your little friend." The demon shifted the mirror to reveal Amon-Shinpi behind him, tied to a chair. Her face was swollen one eye completely closed, a rotten purple. Blood streamed from her nose and down her chin from under the cloth being used to gag her. The same crimson ran down the side of her head. Dirt streaked her clothes along with darker and more insidious stains. Her head hung loosely forward on her neck.

"Cute little thing. She tried her best." The demon continued. "She just wasn't a match for us."

Well that was about the least comforting thing that Koenma had heard in years.

"What do you want?" Koenma asked tersely, still staring at the woman.

"I want you to send your old pals in here to get their fifth wheel." The demon moved again, this time walking closer to Shinpi who didn't move at all as he approached. Another demon with the same bandana yanked her head up by the hair. It only with the vaguest since of relief that Koenma noticed Shinpi was staring at him with a brightness to her good eye. Her eyes were pulled down in her rage. "You see, we've had a lot of fun with this one but she won't stand up to what we have in mind. We need someone more _challenging_. Send us Urameshi and his team of duplicitous bastards."

Koenma didn't respond right away to the demon, instead directing his next question to the woman herself. "Are you alright?"

The demon holding her by her hair untied the twisted fabric keeping her from speaking. She kept her jaw locked despite the sudden freedom and the demon with orange eyes grabbed her by the chin. "It's rude not to answer questions when they're directed to you, sweetness."

His grip caused obvious discomfort.

"They have a weapon that can incapacitate the boys you can't-" She blurted the information out in a flurry and promptly received a punch to the jaw that send her careening to the floor, as Koenma watched. The demon who had undone her gag stepped on neck and glared down at her, earning a strangled growl.

"Gag her again." The orange eyed demon demanded before walking away. "She's got quite the mouth on her. One of my boys lost two of his fingers and another lost his ear. She's got spunk. I can't wait to see how your henchmen react to seeing her once she'd had all that fire beaten out of her."

Koenma's eyes bulged, his hands shaking as they made fists against the top of his desk. As if to demonstrate his seriousness, the demon signaled to the others as they righted Shinpi's chair and a group of three each took turns striking her.

"Stop." Koenma's voice came out weak at first, then more strongly until he was yelling. "Stop!"

"You know how to make it happen. And if your lackeys are half the _detectives_ they pretend to be, they'll have no problem finding us before we kill her. Clock is ticking. If they aren't here when the buzzer sounds then they'll be recovering a body."

"How much time?" Koenma demanded but the screen went black without an answer. He was left staring at the television in his office, standing on his chair. In a flurry he raced from the office.


	33. Limits

**A/N: I'm going to go back to posting Saturdays I think. It's the hip thing to do.**

 **Also, I'm sorry now if parts of this chapter are… iffy. I've been up since 4 am and am operating on about 8 hours of sleep between the last two days because depression is eating me alive. I've seriously thought about giving up on writing no less than three times this week because, despite all the wonderful support I get from you guys and the writing group, I feel like an utter disaster and failure like, all the time right now. That being said I'm too fucking stubborn to allow some measly hormones and chemicals to stop me. I'm not going to stop writing, even in moments like this. This isn't a call for pity, by the way, more of an act of transparency to explain any sudden or strange changes to my writing style or content.**

* * *

Shinpi kept herself as collected as she could. She did her best to ignore the stinging pain radiating through her jaw and ribs. Breathing was more difficult than it should be. Her head was clear, a small blessing and one she needed. A plan started to form in her mind. It was crucial that she handle this before the boys found her. She wouldn't allow them to risk their lives saving her. Swallowing down the taste of stale copper, she tested her bonds again. The ropes were too tight, she couldn't get out of them.

Then again, she didn't need to, not at first. What she needed to do was get to the wristband sealing her power. If she could do that she could handle the rest. She'd drop a reckoning on this place the likes of which no religion had ever had the forethought to describe. Taking her was enough to piss her off.

Bringing her boys into this was a declaration of war.

And she knew they'd come, that was the issue. She knew Yusuke would round them up in all their valor and they'd storm the stronghold to recover her. Just as assuredly, they would be disabled, their powers nullified. She couldn't allow it.

Not for her, not for anyone.

She'd been listening to the demons about this weapon of theirs. It was the mist outside the compound, an agent of chemical warfare designed to inhibit youkai from connected to their energy. A clever and devious creation, one she almost wished she'd been smart enough to create. As underhanded as it was, it was useful. But that wasn't the point. The point was the boys would have no idea what they were walking into. A perfectly laid trap awaited then and it was her job to keep them safe.

She wouldn't stand for them being rendered helpless.

So she gave up on trying to untie her hands and started twisting her wrist in her bonds. With enough force and repeated movement she could wear the bands underneath to nothing. Sure, she'd lose a layer of skin or two along the way but it wouldn't matter.

This was a game of survival and she was not used to losing at those odds.

* * *

Hiei lay in his bed with his head on the pillows and one knee bent up, staring up at the ceiling, lips parted as he tried to categorize his feelings. His head was too clouded to truly accomplish the task. _That damned smile_. He closed his eyes to savor the memory. The way Shinpi's face had lit up when he'd given her those knives.

It warmed him.

Why did she have to look at him like _that_? With such innocent adoration. How could _anyone_ look at him that genuinely? He wanted so badly to hate it. But he couldn't.

And in the kitchen. Her expression had been nothing short of _starving_ when she'd watched him do dishes. The raw heat had been unexpected, and he wondered how she moved so easily between such strong emotions. Then he sighed, opening his eyes to stare upwards again. Remembering the way Shinpi had watched him in the kitchen spurred a smoldering heat to grow in his lower stomach though and he groaned. This again. That woman was a pox on his existence. He couldn't tell if he wanted to strangle her or pin her to the ground and have his way with her.

Two months away hadn't helped to sort his thoughts. Being here wasn't helping either. He was beginning to think there was no escaping these idiotic emotions. Succumbing to them wasn't an option either. Yet, he couldn't pretend they weren't there. What a horrible mess.

A pounding at the front door followed by shouting made him shoot upright, eyes wild. He grabbed his sword and rushed out of his room, landing onto the bottom floor just as Yusuke kicked the door open.

"What the hell are you taking so long for!?" Yusuke yelled.

"I wasn't expecting you idiots to show up making such a racket." Hiei snapped back at him, relaxing some. "What do you want? Shinpi isn't here. Leave."

"Hiei, it's horrible." Botan pushed her way to the front of the group as they poured into the entry way. She had worry etched into her brows and the set of her mouth, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's just awful."

"What fresh hell is this?" Hiei demanded, glaring.

"Here, watch." Botan rushed into the living room and shoved a cassette into the VCR.

The entire group followed, Hiei in the lead as he scowled. If they wanted to watch a movie they could've done it at the oaf's house. He had one of those cassette players. But then the image that flickered onto the screen made his eyes widen.

Shinpi.

Tied to a chair. Bruised. Battered. Being beaten. He listened to the fool who had taken her speak but the words only barely registered because he was so stuck on her form. His fist curled too tightly, his nails cutting into his palm.

Shinpi shouting a final warning, despite knowing what would happen. Her captors holding no mercy for her compromised position.

Shinpi. She'd just been home a few hours ago. Here. In this room. How long? How long had they had her? How long had it taken Koenma to send Botan?

Was she even still alive?

"We gotta go." Yusuke put a hand on Hiei's shoulder. "Koenma was able to track her communicator."

"Go." Hiei nodded, not sure why his brain felt so blank suddenly. "I'll catch up in just a moment."

Kurama cast a worried glance toward the fire demon. "Are you certain, Hiei?"

"Yeah shrimp, this feels like something we should do together." Kuwabara frowned too.

"I said I'll catch up." Hiei growled at all of them, snarling. "What are you wasting time convincing me for? GO."

It didn't take any more convincing. Yusuke forced the other two out the door and demanded Botan report that they were on their way to Koenma. He lingered back for just a second to look at Hiei, that stubborn optimism clear in his brown eyes.

"We're going to go rescue our princess." Yusuke promised him with a cheeky grin and a wink. "Don't make us go in without you, alright?"

Hiei merely nodded and waited for the detective to rush off after the others before moving from the spot he'd planted himself in. He hadn't realized the record had finished some time before, his thoughts drowning out the impeding silence. Now he noticed. Standing alone in the living him he reached up drew his house key from under his shirt, wrapping his fist around the small bit of metal, staring at the chair Shinpi had sat in when he'd tossed the knives on her.

Releasing the key and sliding it back under his shirt he marched up the stairs and threw open her bedroom door. He glared at the blue knives he found on her desk.

Why hadn't she taken them with her? What good were they if they weren't utilized? The woman was a fool. And now her stupidity had caught up with her. He growled again.

He was going _kill her_ when he found her safe and sound.

Swiftly, he untied the knot at the back of his head, his bandana falling off in the process. Walking over to her bed, he flopped himself onto it and closed his eyes, inhaling Shinpi's scent deeply. It helped him focus. The Jagan opened and he searched for her. What was the point of leaving if he was just going to recover a corpse?

His eyes opened when he found her, still bound to her chair, the gag in place. She was working to undo her bonds or some similar thing, twisting her wrists even though it hurt. She stopped moving, even going so far as to hold her breath. It wasn't aloud, but a whisper just for him to hear.

 _Hiei?_ She thought.

 _I'm here._ He muttered back, wishing he could reach out and pull that rolled cloth out of her mouth. It was too undignified. _We're on our way to you_.

 _You can't._

He growled.

 _Hiei, they have a weapon. It's the mist. It's a youki inhibitor. You can't come here or you'll be killed._ Shinpi's mind buzzed so quickly they made him dizzy, a million and one plans forming and dissolving as she tried to come up with a master plan. Some brilliant strategy to escape. Then the door opened and her captors returned, sending her pulse hammering. It hurt her ribs, to have her heart beat so harshly against her bruised bones.

One of the demons lifted her feet, placing a metal tub underneath her. He took off her shoes and socks. Shortly after another began to fill the tub with warm water. Shinpi thrashed, yelled, cursed and did her best to get free. The demon with the orange eyes yanked on her hair from behind, forcing her head to crane back until it hurt her to swallow. One of the others placed stickers on her arms after tearing off her sleeves, and then on her calves after cutting through her jeans. When her head was released she stared at the electrodes.

The panic that welled up in her seized Hiei's chest, made his blood turn to ice. He was helpless as she began to fight again, trying her best to get free to no avail. Her thoughts a cycle of _No no no no no_. She'd long forgotten about his presence in her mind. He could taste it.

 _Shinpi, I'm coming for you_. He yelled the thought into her as the demons made a show of attaching the electrodes to a machine wheeled over for this purpose. _Keep fighting. Shinpi._

He wasn't sure she heard him over the sound of her own screams as the machine came to life, and the electricity surged through her muscles. He was out the window and running so fast the world around him was a blur.

 _Shinpi, I'm coming. Just keep fighting. I'll do the rest._

* * *

The team studied the perimeter of the compound that held Shinpi, a fine mist between them and their goal.

"Shinpi says it'll block our youki." Hiei told them all, hands in his pockets as he glared at the offending barrier. "Kuwabara should be unaffected if that's the case, but the rest of us will have our powers muted."

"There must be something generating the mist." Kurama frowned, his gaze picking over the dark expanse between them and the building. "It's funny, if she were here we'd be able to utilize her power over air to just remove it."

"Well, she's not here. She's in there." Hiei swallowed, his Jagan still wide open as he kept a weather eye on the woman. "Being tortured while we sit out here trying to battle water vapor."

"The demons all have bandanas on. Maybe it needs to be inhaled." Kuwabara pointed out to them. "One of us could test the water."

Hiei glared at him, but it wasn't out of malice. Just concern that they were wasting time. In the back of his awareness Shinpi tried to suppress her screams, doing her best not to show weakness to the demons trying to break her.

"Or." Kurama squinted, reaching deep into his pocket and pulling out a few seeds. "We just clear a path."

"How?" Yusuke looked sidelong at the redhead.

"There are certain plants known for their air cleansing natures." The fox explained. "This one ought to do. I'll act as the test subject for this experiment." Kurama threw the seeds out from him, and then focused his energy. In a few minutes a thicket of ivy vines grew, and around the gargantuan leaves the mist grew thinner.

He began walking through the thicket slowly, picking is way over, under and around the vines with ease born of practice. Once he reached the other side he manifested his rose whip and held it up for the others to see. Hiei smirked. Clever fox indeed. Once again he was glad Kurama was on his side.

"We should split up." Yusuke told them. "You guys go low, we'll go high. And while we're at it, let's fine a way to cut the power. If they're using a machine to shock her, it'll stop once they don't have electricity right?"

"It should." Kurama agreed.

"Alright." Yusuke nodded and looked around at the other three men. "Use your communicators if you guys get into trouble or if you find Hichi. We'll do the same."

It didn't take long for Kurama to determine the most probable location of the building's central power. Hiei right at his side, the fox began to work on shutting the entire building down. They didn't know what wing Shinpi was being held in. Studying the grid in the fuse box, he tried to figure out how to go about this as fast and efficiently as possible without giving away their location and getting caught.

"Hurry up." Hiei growled beside him, a tightened spring of tension. He didn't know how to relay to the fox that they were running out of time.

That Shinpi was running out of time.

"Just grab it and yank it out." He pressed when Kurama shushed him.

"It doesn't work that way." Kurama frowned. "This has to be handled a little more delicately, Hiei. I know it's not ideal, but I'm doing my best."

"Do better."

* * *

They moved the electrodes from her legs and arms to her chest and temples. Shinpi did her best to struggle, but she'd lost the feeling in her arms, her hands gone limp long before. Eyes heavy lidded, she didn't even have the strength to hold her head high any more.

A tear rolled from the corner of her eye.

It was symmetrical, wasn't it, that this should be the end? Maybe she _had_ tricked fate before and stolen this body. Maybe this was her punishment catching up to her. It fit. It would always be lightning, wouldn't it?

It surprised her that she was almost alright with it ending this way. She hadn't wanted it to be this soon. She'd selfishly wanted more time. But if she had to go, she should go the way she came.

Hiro's face swam into her memory, called on by the trembling of her muscles under this familiar torture. In some distant, made up piece of her mind she heard Yusuke's voice call out a joke about water types being weak against electricity. She heard Kuwabara laugh and Kurama chuckle. But she saw Hiro, his gold eyes boring into her soul as he looked down at her face, his white-blond hair seeming to glow with the light behind him.

She smiled and realized it was a foolish dream. Her revenge. Her life. This very well could all just be the last wish of a dying woman, still lying in the bottom of a cavern of her own creation choking on her own blood. But if this was a dream, her last dream, she wished it had lasted just a little longer. She waited for the final shock to come, because she knew it would, just like before, but maybe she had _just a little longer_.

For _him_. She could hear Hiei, somewhere, telling her to fight. To hold on. A fanciful thing. In another life, she'd have enjoyed watching the man he could become. Just in their relatively short time together he'd changed so much. He was always changing. It was mesmerizing. She thought she never sat still, but Hiei was on another plane.

The hum of the machine charging, preparing to deal its last blow to her roused her slightly. She didn't tighten herself against it the coming pain, instead relaxing into it. She'd gone through this before, that made it easier. With the deepest breath she could manage, she closed her eyes and held onto the smiling faces she would never see again. Her friends. Her family.

She hoped they didn't miss her as much she would miss them.

The demon by the machine announced it was ready and flipped the switch, Shinpi exhaling as she awaited the abyss to swallow her into its waiting maw. An empty click echoed in the suddenly dark room, the electrodes powerless without a source. Shinpi's eyes flashed open, her head tilting back to stare up at the ceiling.

* * *

Hiei lay on the ground, gaping and offered a long, drawn out groan. His hair stood even taller than usual, the electric shock that rippled through his body still waning.

"If you'd waited another moment we could have done this without you getting hurt." Kurama chided, glaring at his prone friend. The fox examined the livewire Hiei had pulled free with his bare hands, totally ignoring his previous warning. "You're lucky to be alive."

"We didn't have another moment." Hiei spoke, staring up at the blank darkness that was the ceiling, Shinpi's vision overlaying his own. "They were about to flip the switch. We were out of time."

Kurama knelt beside him and nodded. "Is she alright?"

"She'll live." Hiei sat up slowly, waiting for his muscles to ease. "Whether she knows it or not."

The Jagan shuttered close. The shock of the electricity irritating it to the point of uselessness for the moment. He'd strained himself keeping it open _and_ yanking on the wires. But he'd done his job. The power was off. That's all that mattered.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Kurama offered his hand to Hiei, rising to his feet, and Hiei accepted it allowing himself to be pulled up. "Let's go get our Hichi."

* * *

"Looks like fox boy and Hiei managed to cut the power." Yusuke looked around cautiously.

"Do you think they made it in time?" Kuwabara asked quietly, slinking along at Yusuke's side. "I mean, before, y'know…"

"Hiei wouldn't let anything happen to her." Yusuke cut off the line of thinking. "He made it. Now we just gotta find her and get the hell out of here."

"I dunno Urameshi. I feel weird about this. My back is all tingly." The carrot top looked around. "Something bad is going on."

"We've got two of them in the east wing!" A demon yelled into a walkie talkie, one of a half dozen figures spilling into the hallway. "It's Urameshi and the human."

"Hey, I have a name!" Kuwabara barked at him, his spirit sword singing to life with a radiant light. "It's Kuwabara Kazuma and I'm the one you should be worried about!"

He charged headlong into the gray while Yusuke rolled his eyes and then grinned before joining him. Some things just never changed.

* * *

Shinpi waited a few heartbeats in the darkness before closing her eyes again to enjoy the ringing silence. Somewhere beyond the metal door leading into the room there was screaming. One of the demons rushed from the room. She chuckled around her gag, the sound growing into a muffled fit of laughter.

Honestly, of all the stunts, to pull off cutting the power at the exact last second was _precisely_ how her idiots _would_ go about rescuing her. She couldn't help her crashing wave of amusement. Well, if her boy were here, then she needed to greet them properly didn't she? Reaching deep into her reserves she pulled up everything she had, a few loose plans hobbled together in her frazzled brain. The gag had come loose in her screaming fits, her teeth doing a decent job of cutting through the fabric. With some determination she managed to sever one side completely and spit it out wiggling her bottom jaw around to loosen it up.

"My friends are stronger than yours." She sang, her voice hoarse. "None of you are going to leave this place alive."

"Your friends are going to die." Of the two demons left in the room, this one came at her from the front. He leered at her through the darkness and Shinpi tilted her head to the side.

"Say that to my face." She demanded, grinning and he listened, leaning over her.

Perfect.

She kicked her leg out and really, these idiots were fools for not strapping them to the chair. Her foot hooked around her captor's knee and yanked, forcing him down. With great effort, she used both feet to kick him face down into the water and wrapped her ankles around his throat. He thrashed and she winced.

"If you get me out of these ropes I'll makes sure you see another day of life." Shinpi turned to the other occupant of the room, a demon who was quiet and watched her with wide eyes that shone in the dark as he remained fixed in place. "Is his life worth more than yours?"

The demon hesitated and she tisked. The man under her attempted to stand and she had to adjust the way she pinned him down.

"Time's almost up." She informed the other. Then she smirked as he rushed over and untied her hands before jumping back, far away from her. Shinpi threw her weight forward out of the chair and sank into the basin of water, her position adjusting so that her thighs went around her victim's ears and she didn't stand until after the bubbles and thrashing had stopped.

Rising to her feet she swayed, tripping and falling to the ground as she removed herself from the tub of water. Resting a moment, she collected herself before trying again. Once her feet found their way under her, she turned to look at the demon who had untied her. "Stay in here if you know what's good for you."

Then she took the radio from the other demon's belt and clipped it to her front pocket at a low volume. With great effort so she made her way to the door and pulled it open, using the wall for support. Her muscles were aching and weak, the wear of being repeatedly shocked weighing her down. But she wasn't about to let that stop her. Sliding into the hall she kept one hand on the wall, determined to regather as much of her strength as she could.

She'd run into trouble sooner or later. It was better to limp along now and conserve her energy for whatever fight may lie ahead. The rope used to bind her hands remained firm in her grip as she walked barefoot over the cold ceramic floor.

It didn't take long, a demon coming to check on the corridor caught her and she was forced to wrap the rope around its throat and choke him over her shoulder, strangling him until the fight left his body. Sagging to the ground from the exertion, she stole the hatchet clipped to his side. A little bit better than a rope, she admitted, but with her lack of strength still a fairly useless weapon in her hands. But the enemy didn't know she was so weakened. She could use that blind spot in her knowledge.

Sticking to the shadows and as close to the wall as possible, she followed the sound of echoing voices hoping to find her team, bruised, bloody and with only one useful eye as the other was swollen shut.

* * *

"We'll cover more ground if we split up." Kurama and Hiei stood at an intersection of hallways.

"I know that." Hiei muttered, still a little fuzzy from his moment as an arc conductor. "Don't get yourself killed."

"Likewise." Kurama smiled thinly and then they separated, both going off at a sprint.

Hiei came across a body first, drug to the side of the hall. Beside it he found a trail of blood. Shinpi's from the smell of it, as he tested it on his fingers for freshness and lifted it to his nose. He smirked, reminded of some fairytale Kurama had explained to him once about children lost in a forest.

As he went to follow the droplets, a bulking figure stepped into his path.

Hiei drew his sword with a glare, ready to end this because he was so close to her. He could taste it.

* * *

The demon hadn't stood a chance. That was one small benefit of being barefoot in this place, her footsteps were nearly impossible to hear as she slowly moved her way through the building. Shinpi dropped her victim to the ground, bloody hatchet gripped tightly in her fist. Wincing, she wrapped her other arm around her middle and pressed her back to the wall to catch her breath. A trail of raw, open nail marks raked down both her arms from a previous encounter. Her ribs ached desperately when she breathed. Honestly, she didn't have much left in the way of energy.

She just wanted to go home.

A presence at the end of the hallway, the door slamming open and announcing another combatant made her shake off her exhaustion as she prepared for another fight. Crimson eyes met her own through the darkness, shining bright even without a light source.

Shinpi dropped the hatchet, swaying slightly as her mouth fell open when her eyes landed on Hiei. He stared back, then gasped as she suddenly ran to him. Her quick footfalls echoed as her bare feet slapped against the floor. Shinpi threw her arms around his waist. Her face, covered in black and blue and blood, pressed to his chest.

"Hiei I'm so sorry. You've gotten hurt trying to save me." She cried, noting a cut on his cheek and in his shirt.

Hiei wrapped his arms around her, the shock of seeing her in such a state warring with the relief of finding her _alive_. Tightening her in his hug, he muttered. "It's nothing. I'd gladly accept twice the damage if it meant bringing you home."

Shinpi's eyes flashed open, tears lining her lashes. "I'd rather die than have you hurt on behalf."

He growled, the sound loud next to her ear. His arms threatened to crush her, and she winced in his hold.

"Keep talking like that and I'll leave you here." He warned her darkly. "I didn't drag myself out here to listen to you whine about living."

"Hiei." She whispered his name and the rush of anger cooled. "Thank you for coming. I wish you hadn't needed to."

"Grab your weapon. We'll find the others together." He released her and then blinked at the tears on her cheeks. "You don't have time to cry, Shinpi. Save it for when you're safe."

"I'm just so happy to see you. I thought, I might never-" She swallowed, cutting herself off and then nodded. Limping, she made her way back to the hatchet, scooped it up and then waited for Hiei. "After you, handsome."

They stuck to the shadows and moved slowly, Hiei more than aware that Shinpi wasn't at her usual levels of performance from the way she winced when she walked. He didn't have time to ask all of what was wrong with her. It didn't matter right now. Nothing looked fatal and once they found the others they could leave and get her to a healer.

"Where is the demon with orange eyes?" Hiei asked her quietly. "The one who spearheaded this endeavor."

"He left when the lights turned off." She shook her head slightly. "Impeccable timing for whoever did that, by the way."

"You're welcome." Hiei muttered, smirking at her.

"Thank you." She replied softly, smiling back at him.

"Fuck dude, could you get any bigger?" Yusuke's voice carried to them around a mass of demon blocking the hall. The being took up most of the space, nearly as tall and wide as the space it walked in.

The demon offered some sort of response, a sarcastic comment it really had no hope of following up on. Shinpi glanced at Hiei and then shrugged as they stalked closer from behind. She shoved her hatchet's handle through a belt loop and strung her rope between her hands like a garrote, attention focused on the demon's back. She sprang forward without her usual grace and wrapped the rope around it's meaty neck, her knee pressed between its shoulders to force it's back to arch.

"Momma's home!" She called with a wicked grin, and Yusuke jumped at her sudden presence before she yelled at him to finish his job.

"Shit. Right! Spirit Gun!" He yelled and the blue light burst through the demon's chest without any more pause. As the creature fell backwards Shinpi released her hold and twisted herself around so that she was standing on its chest when it hit the ground.

Yusuke didn't wait to ask if she was okay or even seem to notice Hiei as he ran over and swooped the woman into his arms, squeezing her tightly. She called out in pain, her ribs protesting his affection, but she tried to stifle the response.

"I told you to call me if you were in trouble!" He fussed at her, sniffling. "I thought we were going to lose you, you know! You can't just do this to us! Who's going to keep everyone in line if you die? Huh?"

"Can't. Breathe." Shinpi patted his arm and he yelped, releasing her. After allowing herself a moment of recovery she wrapped her arms around Yusuke's middle as comfortably she could. "I'm sorry, Yusuke."

"Yeah, you should be." He scolded and then hugged her back more gently, sniffling again but trying to pretend it wasn't him. "You should have seen the others. They're all a mess. I think Kuwabara was crying or something."

"I'm sure." She teased, nodding, pulling back and then looking at Hiei, who watched them with obvious confusion and some disgust.

"You want in on this?" Yusuke asked. He tugged the fire demon into the hug without heeding any of Hiei's protests on the matter, locking both shorter demons into a death grip. "I'll call the others so we can go home."

"He didn't need your assistance." Hiei kept his voice low as spoke to Shinpi while Yusuke called the others. "You wasted valuable energy you don't have on a fight you had no business being in."

"I couldn't help it." She shrugged, grinning at him. "I'm just so happy to see you all again."

Hiei stared at her, at the obvious truth in her words that lit up her eyes. Then at her battered face and her bloodied arms and her compromised posture, she was favoring her right leg.

"Was there ever a question you wouldn't?" He asked softly, doing his best to assure her that there was no way they wouldn't have saved her. No universe in which he would allow her to die so easily.

"I guess there wasn't." Shinpi wet her lips and then gestured to her face. "Do think it'll scar?

"Why does it matter?" Hiei grumbled.

"Because I'm vain. But then again, you might find my face more palatable if it had more decoration." She teased him. "Perhaps it's less _distracting_ at the moment."

Hiei rolled his eyes away from her, sighing. "Your face is palatable either way. Idiot."

"Kurama and Kuwabara said the building is almost clear. They're on their way." Yusuke pocketed his communication mirror and put his hands on his hips to assess them. "The leader got away."

Hiei swore under his breath, sneering to the side. He wanted to run that bastard through himself. "I'll go after him once I know Shinpi is on her way home."

"Sounds good to me. We'll take care of the rest." Yusuke offered him a thumbs up. "So, did Hiei have to rescue you or did you manage to get out on your own?"

"I convinced one of my captors to release me after drowning his ally with my feet while I was still bound to the chair." Shinpi explained lightly as Kuwabara and Kurama joined them. "It was about as uneven a fight as I've ever been in."

"Hey, well, you said you liked to work with a handicap, right?" Yusuke joked and Shinpi snorted a forced laugh.

"What?" Hiei stared between them, his expression slowly falling into a scowl. Then he stepped forward and grabbed Shinpi by the jaw with one hand, his lips tearing into a snarl. "Tell me you did not put yourself in this situation to _test how fucking tough you are_."

"Hiei." She grimaced as his fingers bit into her bruises.

" _Say it_." He demanded hotly, tightening his hold. "To my face. Tell me you didn't allow yourself to nearly be killed for the hell of it."

"Let her go!" Kuwabara barked, grabbing Hiei's other arm. The fire demon shoved him away. "Hiei! You're hurting her."

"No, this isn't that bad." Hiei assured all of them, his temper flaring. The heat made Shinpi wince. "I'm waiting, Shinpi."

"I didn't do this to test myself." She spoke through teeth being forced together. "This wasn't intentional."

He scoured her face and continued to grip her by it. "You're not allowed to die unless it's by my hand, do you understand me? I refuse to allow you to succumb to cretins like these."

"I can't make that promise, Hiei." She sounded apologetic and all it did was force him to thrust her away. She stumbled back into Kurama's chest with a cry of pain.

"I will drag you back from the pits of hell just to kill you myself." Hiei warned her, shaking with his anger.

She bared her bloodied teeth at him. "You'll lose."

There it was, that spark. That heat that she kept inside her somewhere deep enough to pretend it could be snuffed out. He turned on heel and marched away from all of them.

"Get her home. I'll get the one that escaped." Hiei was gone right after the words, just another shadow swallowed up in the darkening night.

"Hey!" Yusuke caught him by the back of his shirt outside the doors, throwing him against the wall. "What the fuck was that? She's been through enough without you turning into a psycho."

"Fuck you." Hiei bowed up to the taller man. "She needed to tell me she didn't do this on purpose."

"She doesn't owe you shit for explanations." Yusuke tilted his face down. "You're being an aggressive dick. She's hurt! And thanks to you, worse than before."

"I didn't hurt her." Hiei snapped.

"Say that to the handprint forming on her face."

"This is out of your depth, detective. Don't involve yourself in my affairs."

"I'm not just going to let you get away with manhandling her." Yusuke cracked his knuckles.

"She could have died!" Hiei yelled, gesturing toward the open doors beside them. "Because of her fucking ego she was almost killed. She's too strong to go out like this. And I _know_ she could have handled this better. This is her whole suicide complex coming back and I won't stand for it! So keep the fuck out of it and let me make sure she _survives!"_

Yusuke pulled back, eyes wide. "Wait, Hiei, are you even angry right now? You're not are you?"

"Of course I am! I'm pissed that she made such a stupid mistake." Hiei growled.

"No, dude, you're not. You're scared." The detective's words only earned a scathing glare. "She scared you."

"No she didn't. She pissed me off because-" Hiei stopped talking and swallowed, looking away. "How is she supposed to take Hiro's head if she dies in a place like this?"

"Hiei, it's alright if you're just worried about her because it's her you know." Yusuke put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

Hiei tensed and then grimaced. "Shut up, detective. You don't know what you're talking about."

"You can't treat her that way when you're upset. Doesn't matter if your angry or scared or whatever. You can't just hurt her to make yourself feel better."

"It doesn't make me feel better. It makes _her_ feel better." Hiei glanced to the doors as he lowered her voice. "I saw it in her eyes. She'd been defeated. Now she's got her fire back. She'll fight again, harder."

Yusuke stared at him, frowning but the lull allowed Hiei to disappear again and the detective was left in his wake trying to piece together exactly what was going on.


	34. Cashing In

**A/N: HEY FRIENDS AND FOES. So, first of all, this week has been fucking tough. But I got my meds back, so big yay! Stability is on the horizon. Thank you all for your wonderful support and I love you all. You were all very sweet reaching out to me, and I greatly appreciate it. My depressive episodes are triggered by shit brain chemistry and aren't situational, so while I do what I can, I often just have to ride them out. That aside…**

 **I'm going to be taking a short break from posting. I've decided to take the month of February off for a multitude of reasons. I've been hammering away at writing posted stories since July. Over 300k words posted, and a little over 100k written in compilation documents. I will definitely come back. I already have the next chapter pretty much drafted. I just need some me time.**

 **And lastly, I think I finally settled on a new title for this since it's taken on its own form.**

 **Survivor's Guilt.**

 **I'm down for opinions! But lacking any strong concerns, I'm going with it and the next update will be under that title. I'll add something to the blurb to remind people what the story used to be called.**

 **Thank you all for understanding! And feel free to reach out to me anytime! I'll be around, I just won't update until March. I love y'all!**

* * *

When Hiei crept into Shinpi's bedroom is was technically early morning. The darkness outside was still deep, and he was sure to keep himself as quiet as possible as he stepped onto her desk and closed the window behind him. Leaves stuck in his hair and his boots were still slick with mud, leaving footprints in his wake before he kicked them off and left them sitting by the desk chair. Tracking that orange-eyed bastard had been relatively easy, but it hadn't been clean. Hiei had taken him time once he found him too. Now he was here, though, and even without light he picked up the bandages covering Shinpi's arms, neck and face as she lay curled against Kurama's side.

So much for the fox never entering her bed.

Hiei settled onto the floor next to the bed, his back against the wall as he rested. He hadn't bothered to shower before coming in here, so grime and blood still stained in his arms in flaky streaks. He probably smelled too. Didn't matter, he was tired from chasing down the ring leader. His eyes had barely been closed for a minute when he heard Shinpi begin to toss and turn. Then a soft whine from the back of her throat followed by a subdued snarl.

Sighing, he got to his feet. It seemed Kurama's presence wasn't enough to push off the nightmares. Not tonight at least.

Not when her ordeal was still so fresh.

Hiei reached out and cupped her cheek to keep her head steady. Honestly, it was his fault that her teeth latched onto the space between his thumb and forefinger. He should've seen it coming. So he didn't yell at her for biting him, despite the fact he was a bit impressed with her jaw strength, he merely bit back on his own disgruntled growl.

Shinpi tore the flesh a little bit before growling deep in her chest. Her eyes opened as the heel of her hand shove under his chin. The sound woke Kurama who sat bolt upright and moved to separate the two demons beside him.

"It's fine." Hiei snapped at him harshly. "She's waking up."

As if on cue Shinpi opened her mouth and released him, dropping her arms to the comforter. With wide eyes she stared up at Hiei, who raised an eyebrow and lifted his hand to assess the damage.

"Fucking wolf demons." He mumbled, but he smirked none the less. "I'm glad my throat wasn't close enough for you to tear out."

"Maybe next time." She responded quietly, sitting up. Taking his hand into her own she ran her thumb through the blood pooling in his palm. "I'm sorry Hiei, I'll hea-"

He jerked the appendage back and huffed. Ripping off a piece of his scarf he wrapped it around the bite mark before pushing her over toward Kurama so he could post himself on the outer edge of the bed.

"Focus on yourself, fool." He grumbled, sitting with his back against the headboard. "You can't waste your energy right now."

"I'm not made of glass." She grumped back at him.

"Could have had me fooled." Hiei smirked when she offered a frustrated huff.

Kurama watched them, a little perplexed. "What just happened?"

"Bad dream." Hiei and Shinpi responded in unison. Hiei went on. "Get some sleep, Kurama. If you're here she won't try any of that cuddling nonsense with me."

"You have your own room." Shinpi shot back at him.

"I'd rather be in yours tonight. Want to fight about it?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

"That's what I thought. Go to sleep."

"Ass." But she did as he demanded and laid back down against Kurama, arms wrapped around the fox who looked mildly uncomfortable now that Hiei was there.

"Are you sure?" Kurama asked Hiei quietly, noticing the glare the fire demon was tossing the pair of them. Hiei merely turned his face away and closed his eyes, settling in for another uncomfortable night of sleep.

It was much later in the morning when Hiei inhaled the tainted scent of blood and rain. It reminded him of home. He buried his face in the source, breathing deeply. There was a soft groan that greeted his action and he opened his eyes to realize he was pressing his face against Shinpi's shoulder, his arms wound around her middle from behind. Kurama slept facing the two of them, one arm trapped under both his and Shinpi's necks. The woman herself had tangled her limbs around the fox, her face smothered in his chest.

What a fucking blessing he'd been the first to wake up.

Or so he'd thought.

"Comfy?" Shinpi had the audacity to sound pleased with herself.

Hiei squeezed against what he knew was a bruise as punishment for the remark. She exhaled sharply and it pleased him. "Very."

"Can you both be quiet?" Kurama whined.

Great, so they were all awake and just mushed together this way. Hiei began to retract, disgusted. It was just as he was trying to wake up the arm under Shinpi enough for it to obey his commands that the bedroom door flew open and Yusuke and Kuwabara came bounding in. Without warning they flopped onto the bed, crushing all three occupants beneath them. Hiei grunted as a knee landed in his stomach. Kurama called out in complaint.

Shinpi however, merely laughed even as the breath whooshed from her lungs. "Get off me you dorks."

"But moooooom, we were so scared!" Yusuke laughed as he dramatically clutched the woman to his chest. "And we just had to come see you!"

"Yeah!" Kuwabara burrowed himself between Hiei and Shinpi, pulling the woman into a lung crushing bear hug. "We had to make sure you okay!"

"She'd be better if you two weren't crushing her." Hiei snapped at them, whacking Kuwabara upside his head. "Let her go, oaf. She's injured and you're not helping."

Botan and Keiko entered the room looking thoroughly humored. When Yusuke flailed some, pretending to wail about Shinpi's well-being Hiei finally gave up on using his words and launched himself at the detective. Straddling the man, he shoved a pillow down over his face with a feral grin.

"Oh, we brought you breakfast!" Botan jogged over and held out a brown paper back to Shinpi as everyone ignored Hiei's assault on Yusuke.

"And coffee. Thought you could use some." Keiko handed her a paper to-go cup.

"You're angels thank you." Shinpi beamed at them and then reached over and pulled Yusuke's head to her chest as Hiei finally let him go. "Be nice to my son, Hiei."

His immediate deadpan expression made her neutral mask slip some, a smile threatening to spread from the upturned corner of her mouth. "You're all idiots."

"Dad's a bit of piss ant this early in the morning, huh?" Kuwabara mumbled and Hiei's eyes went livid as he landed a hit on the taller man's head.

"Don't call me dad you giant idiot."

"Hey, he knows all the lines." Yusuke pointed at Hiei who growled. "Ah, relax short stuff."

"I hate all of you." Hiei shoved Kuwabara out the bed to take his spot at Shinpi's side before pilfering through the brown bag. He produced a single donut and set the food on her lap for easier access. "Make yourself useful, detective, and go make some real food. Sugar isn't going to allow Shinpi to heal. She needs protein."

"You ain't the boss of me." Yusuke pointed out, shoving a finger toward Hiei's face.

"Actually, it would be nice. I'm actually quite hungry." Shinpi smiled softly at Yusuke. "But it's alright if you don't want to cook, Yusuke. I can manage myself."

Hiei had to admit, Shinpi was concerningly good when it came to the art of manipulation. Yusuke blushed for a second, rubbed his neck then muttered some incoherent acceptance, talking about making _the best_ breakfast.

"I can't wait." Shinpi smiled at him with more warmth and the detective slid off the bed.

"Guess my skills in the kitchen are why I'm the favorite." Yusuke huffed, grinning suddenly. Kuwabara barked out in argument.

"Now, now boys, I love all my children equally."

Hiei thought he might gag, but said nothing as the two idiots began to argue about which one was _actually_ the woman's favorite. A smirk ghosted over Hiei's lips for a moment as Shinpi rested her head on his shoulder, just briefly, her eyes closed. Let them have their petty arguments then. Neither of them was correct.

It was obvious _he_ was her favorite anyway.

* * *

"No special reason or _anything_ , but uh, what's your favorite color?" Kazuma asked as he handed Hichi her coffee. They still gathered on her bed, Kurama and Kuwabara, something that irritated Hiei to no end. The women helped Yusuke cook food downstairs leaving the three demons in bed and Kuwabara to annoy them.

"My favorite color?" She blinked up at him.

"Yeah! It's purple, right?" He bobbed his head and sat at her feet, grinning. "Not blue."

"You're right, Kazuma!" Shinpi beamed at him. "No one ever guesses correctly! How did you figure that out?"

"Whenever we go shopping you always look at the purple clothes but buy blue. But you get purple accessories, like that little thing you keep on your purse." He shrugged. "Shizuru taught me to pay special attention to stuff like that."

"Brilliant woman who raised a brilliant man." Shinpi continued to smile brightly.

"I thought it was crimson." Hiei kept his teasing voice quiet enough that only she would hear him. Her face flushed immediately and she backhanded his chest without a thought, then winced at the pain that radiated down her arm while he smirked. "Idiot."

"In your face, Kurama! I _told_ you!" Kuwabara stuck his tongue out at the fox, who was sporting serious bedhead.

"Congratulations." Kurama muttered eyes narrowed as he ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes trying to glimpse Hiei around Shinpi. Within seconds of Shinpi noticing him trying to untangle the knots that come to life overnight, she asked Kuwabara to get her hairbrush. Then, Kurama found himself sitting in front of her while she brushed out his hair.

"I can't believe you thought my favorite color was blue, Kurama." Shinpi teased him as she gently combed through his mane. "That's Hiei's favorite."

Hiei stiffened slightly, glancing at her. "They weren't talking about me."

"Wait, you said you didn't have a fav-" Kuwabara's argument was cut off when Hiei nonchalantly kicked him in the stomach and shot him a glare.

"What was that Kazuma?" Shinpi leaned around Kurama to gaze at her pupil.

"Oh, I said, uh," the carrot top glanced at Hiei's scowl, "that we already _knew_ Hiei's favorite color."

She went back to her task without another word to him about it. Instead switching gears slightly, "I think you'd look nice in other colors too, Hiei. You wore blue at The Dark Tournament and it looked very charming. I bet you'd look rather dashing in scarlet or lavender or even just more white. You have the skin for it."

"Hn. No one asked you your opinion on my attire." Hiei responded gruffly, looking away. "I'll wear what I want to wear. Isn't that _your_ rule?"

"You don't offer opinions on my clothes. We discussed that if you did I'd take it under consideration." She reminded him softly, a small smile on her face as she plucked a few seeds from the tangles above Kurama's nape. "I'll give these back to you when I'm done."

"I'd appreciate it." The fox turned to smile at her over his shoulder. "Hiei doesn't offer opinions on things like clothing, it's not his style."

"Hn. No one's ever bothered to ask either." Hiei pointed out to him dryly. "I'm not totally oblivious, you know. I have preferences."

"And they are?" Shinpi caught him in a gaze that felt like a noose when he swallowed.

"Yeah, shrimp, dazzle us with your fashion insight." Kuwabara teased leaning toward them.

Hiei's eyebrow ticked, his eyes pinched closed and his arms over his chest. "You're all idiots. I don't owe any of you an answer."

"That's a shame. I was going to ask you to pick out my outfit for me today. You helped me that one time before, remember? With my shirt." Shinpi shrugged and then piled the seeds in Kurama's waiting palm. "All done."

Hiei glanced at the two of them, then at Shinpi's closet. Then _the drawer_ before quickly turning back to the woman. He remembered the incident she mentioned, when she'd just stripped down in front of him as if it were nothing. Her wiggling into a pair of jeans…

"Fine."

She turned to him with her head tilted in question.

"I'll pick out your clothing for the day. But if you don't like it I don't want to hear you whining." He warned her darkly. "You don't ask for help often, so I suppose I should answer the call when it comes. Even if it is over something nonconsequential."

She was ready to explain to him that it wasn't his help she wanted, but his actual opinion when she stopped herself. If this was his way of answering her question, then so be it. Stubborn fool that he was couldn't stand being ribbed by his friends.

"Alright, everyone out. I'm tired of sitting in bed already." Shinpi shooed Kurama and Kuwabara away. When the door closed behind them she sagged against the headboard and let out a sigh. "Honestly, I'm already exhausted."

Hiei frowned at her. "Don't pretend to be fine for their benefit."

"What about for yours?" She asked, shooting him a look he didn't quite understand. "Are you done being angry with me?"

He really had left a handprint on her just as Yusuke had accused the night before, he could see it tattooed against her jaw. Sighing, he reached over and brushed the bruises with his fingertips then pulled away entirely. What a great time to start rustling through her clothing so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye. He had a vague idea of what he'd dress her in, he just needed to find the right materials.

"Yusuke told me I wasn't angry. He accused _me_ of being _worried_." Hiei scoffed at the mere of it. "Because it was _you_. Because you were hurt. Taken."

Remembering the video of her strapped to a chair, defenseless, getting the fire beaten out of her made his hands clench. He shook them out subtly, rolling his shoulders to loosen them.

"Obviously you don't agree." Shinpi watched him peruse her closet, noting how he purposefully kept his back to her. "If you're about to berate me for being stupid, Hiei-"

"I _am_ angry." Hiei cut her off, glaring over his shoulder at her. Then he turned away again and selected a pair of green shorts from a hanger. "You asked me to go with you, Shinpi. If I had, this wouldn't have happened to you."

His tone remained hot, annoyed, but he deflated some with the words as she watched.

"If I hadn't been too wrapped up in my head… I should have never said no to you. I could have been there, I could have had your back, and instead I stayed here like a _coward_ and let you get _tortured."_ He shook as he spoke. "My only question is, why aren't _you_ angry with _me_?"

He turned and stared at her, trying to make her answer him. They were alone now. She didn't have to pretend to be fine. She didn't have to keep her tongue in check like she tried to in front of the others. She could yell at him. Strike him. Accuse him of being the selfish bastard he was. Blame him. He waited, watching her study him with that impassive mask in place and he knew it was coming.

"I wanted you to come so I could spend time with you, Hiei, not so you could have my back."

He nearly dropped the shorts and sweater he'd picked out, his eyes going wide. Shinpi sighed again, looking all the more exhausted, but she smiled for him and it was a sweet, small thing.

"How can you ask me to be angry with you when you're so _sad_?" She whispered, the smile fading as she looked away from him. "I'm glad you weren't there, Hiei. They wanted you. Honestly, it was a comfort to me that you hadn't come. If they'd gotten you powerless in that mist, they'd have killed you on the spot. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."

"Stop it." He demanded harshly. "Stop using your twisted logic to absolve me of-"

She was in front of him before the end of the sentence, her arms around his middle and her head tucked under his chin. The movement cost her, he felt her tremble and lean on him for support. He offered little in return.

"You were ready to die." He wanted to scream the words at her, because they burned his chest in the most nauseating way and it was her fault. "You just accepted it. You can't do that. You can't just leave-"

He cut himself off that time because he'd about to tell her she couldn't just leave _him_. The realization sent a rod down his spine and then he growled, wrapping his arms around her a little too tightly.

"I was in your head the whole time." He told her coldly. "I saw it all. I felt it. I hate that you can so readily embrace death."

"Me too." She breathed the admission against his collarbone and it chilled and warmed him all at once. "I hate it too, Hiei. I hate that I can be rendered so weak by mere memories."

"Memories?" Hiei pulled back and stared at her face.

"Hiro is a lightning user." Shinpi shook her head. "Much like my fear of heights, I've developed a phobia of electrical shocks. The minute they attached those electrodes to me I was dead. I knew it. I couldn't not know it."

She took the cream colored sweater out of his hand and slung it over her shoulder before placing a kiss to his palm, then to his knuckles. She lifted his hand and rested her forehead against his fingers, sighing.

Hiei pulled out of her fingers only to wrap his hand around the back of her head and tug her close again. His mouth brushed over hers lightly, then with more intent. Suddenly he had her against a wall, bandaged wrists trapped in his hands and his body melting against hers. The only protest she offered was when he tried to pull away, her teeth catching his bottom lip and drawing him back into the kiss. He released her wrists so he could run his hands down her bandaged arms, up her legs, around her back, under her shirt, anywhere he could press his fingers to her skin where he could find it free of bandages. Touch her. Make sure she was still real. He encountered far more wounds than he liked.

"Take the binds off." He murmured against her mouth.

"Hiei." His name was caught between a whine and complaint.

"I'm cashing in my chip." Crimson eyes focused on her face intently. "You owe me anything I want, Shinpi. And I want you to take the binds off."

"Of all the things you could ask for." She chuckled, and it wasn't exactly filled with humor as she raked her fingers through her mussed hair. "A deal is a deal. I'll take them off."

"Good. They don't match what I picked out for you anyway." Hiei smirked, withdrew from her and picked up the shorts he'd dropped on the floor. Then the sweater that had slipped off her shoulder. He tossed them on the bed. "Since I'm picking out your outfit for the day, does that include what goes underneath?"

"I thought you didn't care what I wore under my clothes." She teased him. "Knock yourself out, Hiei."

He cast a hungry look down her and then went straight for the door. "Get dressed."

"Take a shower, you smell like stale blood." She shot at him, running her hand through her bangs again as he left the room. She walked over and assessed his choices. Not half bad, actually. It would be cute if nothing else. With a blink, she realized that he hadn't actually chosen anything for her to wear underneath.

That cheeky pervert.

Well, if he wanted to play _that_ game, so be it. Her lips lifted in a devious grin. Sooner or later, Hiei would crack. And if she had her way, she'd make it as soon as possible. With a smirk she broke her binds and came up with her next move.

Her moment of weakness had awoken her in a way. Nearly dying, being so sure her time had run out gave her a new appreciation for her life. For the people in it. She wasn't ready to die. She wasn't ready to give up. She needed to make the most of her life, stop staving off happiness for the sake of guilt. The fact of it was simple, she'd tried to deny her feelings for Hiei. She'd done her best to put them to the side when they became too strong to shirk off, telling herself she had more important things. This wasn't the time.

There would never be a perfect time. After Hiro would come something else. That's just the way their lives were.

So she wasn't going to deny herself anymore. She'd pursue Hiei. Given her druthers, she'd court him and make him her own. It wouldn't happen overnight. Hiei still had so many walls. But she was nothing if not determined.

* * *

Hiei came out of the bathroom, steam billowing out around him and he barely had time to dodge as Shinpi swung at him with a knife in her hand wearing the clothes he had chosen. He ducked backwards, eyes wide as she bore down on him, forcing him to plan this foot in her stomach and kick her back as he held her wrist so her glinting blue blade couldn't bite into his eye. She accepted his hit with a grin and spun around. The gust of air that hit him from her swinging leg sent him into the wall so hard he dented the plaster.

With a smirk he launched at her, taking her around the middle and sending them both to the floor. "You're lucky I left my sword in your room, woman."

"Not so lucky for you though, is it?" She responded with that same grin tucking her knees to her chest, pressing her feet to his ribs and sending him sprawling at the top of the stairs.

Hiei flipped to his feet and she advanced, forcing him down the stairs with every kick and punch. Her hits never landed, meeting his blocks with bone shaking force despite the bandages still winding around her limbs. When his feet met the bottom landing he switched from blocking her kick to grabbing her ankle, sending her flying over the banister. Shinpi landed on her hands, spinning out of his hold before she jumped to her feet. Then she threw the knife and it bit into the wall over his shoulder so close to his cheek it left a line of red welling up against his skin. His eyes lit up and he went after her only to have her run through the living room, hopping over a chair, and out the back door.

It didn't save her.

He caught her in the backyard, hand fisted in the back of her sweater and yanking until she was forced against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her to trap hers by her sides he moved his head when she tried to kick him over her shoulder.

"Is this the best you have to give me?" He purred against the shell of her ear.

"Hardly." She smirked.

His disadvantage was their similar statures. With her feet able to rest on the ground, Shinpi was able to wrench herself forward and break his hold, one leg shooting back to nail him in the stomach. With Hiei doubled over she panted, facing him with her hands on her knees.

"You're going to open your wounds." Hiei chastised her, but his eyes still glimmered. "You've proven your point, Shinpi."

"As long as we understand each other." She nodded and straightened herself with a wince, cradling her ribs. "I don't need you wasting your talents protecting me."

"Fool." He shook his head and walked over to her, grabbing the hem of her shirt and hiking it up. "Let me see what damage you've down now."

He'd raised the shirt a little higher than he should have, he realized quickly, because where he'd normally have found some sort of bra he saw only a plane of skin. Shinpi smirked at him when he glanced at her face, forcing his expression to be dull. Without remembering to check her wounds he let her go and stepped back.

"I'm wearing a matching set, by the way." She told him coolly, stretching her arms above her head as she made her way passed him toward the house.

Hiei's eyes darkened as he watched her, a thick swallow eating the words poised on the back of his tongue.

"What was that about?" Yusuke demanded when Shinpi walked back through the sliding glass door. He stood wearing her apron, spatula in hand and a scowl on his face.

"A necessary conversation, nothing more." Shinpi assured him with a warm smile, her eyes closed with her arms tucked behind her head. "Darling Hiei just wanted to make sure I made good on my promise to remove my binds."

"Huh." Yusuke eyed her, obviously not quite believing her. "Alright. Sure. Food is ready."

"Thank you." Shinpi glanced at Hiei as he walked in behind her, schooling his expression into a scowl. Adding some heat to her voice she said, "I'm starving, really."

Hiei tripped over the coffee table at her words and played it off without much grace, ignoring Yusuke's jibe about him being clumsy. "No one is stopping you from eating."

"I was raised to believe that meals should take place when everyone is at the table." She shot back at him.

He shot her a studious glance, then walked into the kitchen where there weren't nearly enough chairs for everyone to sit and eat. He wondered if she meant her words literally, or if they'd been the suggestion he'd assumed they were? Shinpi fixed herself a plate and took a seat at the overburdened kitchen table with Keiko and Botan.

"Kazuma, fetch the fold out chairs and table please." Shinpi requested easily and the carrot top followed her order without pause. The black card table and its extra chairs went against the kitchen table and offered enough room and seating for everyone.

"This is new." Hiei commented, shoving Kurama's plate one seat over so he could sit next to the wolf demoness.

"I've accepted my role as hostess with grace." Shinpi shrugged and looked over at him.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'll never have another day of peace in my life."

"Not if I have a say in the matter."

Hiei stiffened, eyes darting back to the woman to make sure she'd actually spoken. The words had come so quietly. But she was already back in conversation with the other women and Kurama was posted at his other side with that damned knowing grin.

* * *

"What are we doing out here, Hiei?" Shinpi's head seemed to be on a constant pivot as they trekked through the woods, her eyes scanning their surroundings relentlessly.

"I got you a present." He told her, again, as if it in anyway answered her. She'd asked him to specify when he'd asked her to follow him into the forest. He hadn't.

"I'll admit my curiosity is piqued." She informed him, frowning slightly. "You've been awfully generous lately."

"This gift cost me nothing. In fact, I'd say it's as much for me as it is for you." Hiei looked over his shoulder and stared at her. "It'll satisfy me to see you use it."

Her eyebrow lifted under her bangs. And then she came to a stop as Hiei did, her expression draining to cool indifference after a startled moment of shock had crossed her features. Acutely aware that Hiei was watching her closely, she offered nothing. The demon was tied to a tree, beaten pretty severely already it seemed. But neon orange eyes took her in and he snarled around the gag in his mouth. Shinpi took the moment to study Hiei.

The fire demon was still watching her, expectation clear as day in his eyes. They glimmered and she was positive it was excitement lighting his irises.

A gift he'd said. One that would satisfy him as much as her. His desire in this moment was fairly obvious, so she turned back to the demon but didn't move. Sometimes it surprised her that Hiei's nature could be so attune to her own. This was honestly something she'd have done for him, and it was definitely something she'd done for others before.

"I was going to get as much information from him as I could before disposing him, but it occurred to me that you might like the honor."

"Such a thoughtful gift. Hiei, you're too much."

"Am I?" Hiei leaned against a nearby tree to watch her before glancing at his restrained quarry. Had he gone too far?

Then she smiled, a baring of teeth that drained some of the light from her eyes as she crouched in front of the demon. Her fingertips traced the scar branded into the demon's jaw. "You should have run faster."

The demon growled at her, grunting and fighting his restraints to no avail. She withdrew her hand and clicked her tongue, eyes glued to the mark as if it had pushed into a chasm of thought.

"Cattle." She finally lamented and frowned, looking thoroughly disturbed. "You're being treated as livestock. How am I the one you're furious at when you've been so thoroughly wronged?"

Reaching behind the demon's head, she untied the gag gently, unraveling the cloth as if she didn't intend to use it again. Brushing hair out of his eyes, she studied him. Hiei frowned at the display of it, her tenderness being wasted on this utter disgrace. This demon who had spearheaded her torture. Who had demanded she be beaten, the one responsible for that machine.

"You are not the leader of this faction." Shinpi stated this as fact and settled herself on the ground, criss-cross. "Who provided you with that weapon?"

Silence met her question and she nodded.

"The operation must be large for so much of the chemical compound to be produced. Hundreds must be a part of this resistance movement alongside you." She surmised and tilted her head. The demon blinked, his face scrunching. She took that as confirmation. "How is it activated?"

Shinpi's mind went back to her meeting with Shikari in the demon bar before Hiei had showed up. The small packet the other woman had slid to her. It contained a powder of mysterious origin. Shinpi had yet to solve its puzzle and now she knew why. She'd been missing the catalyst. Shikari had given her an incomplete weapon, likely knowingly. The blonde was smarter than Shinpi had given her credit for. Arming a human with anti-demon weaponry was practically treason.

But now she could find her answers, because Hiei had so generously delivered them to her wrapped up in a neat, overwhelmed, restrained package.

"It's a powder base." She explained, and Hiei studied her closely. She could feel it. "Which means there must be another agent to transform it into the mist. It couldn't be as simple as water, could it?"

"Why not?" The demon asked with a glower, but the prideful glint in his eye told a different story. He felt he had the upper hand. "Water would be perfect, wouldn't it? It's _everywhere_."

"What does that mean?" Hiei demanded, those orange eyes turning to him.

"Hiei, please." Shinpi steadied herself.

Her skirmishes on the border of this world and that of demons suddenly felt larger and smaller. She wasn't making the impact she'd hoped, and she'd definitely need to speak with Koenma to update him on this news. But she _was_ limiting the impact on humans. Her teeth found her lip as she considered her position.

A substance that could render even the most powerful demons powerless, created by simply mixing a powder into some water. The chaos it would cause if it were to enter the waterways of one of the major centers in Makai. Concerning.

And also, impossibly more so, interesting.

"Who demanded you attack the detectives? Someone organized this." Shinpi narrowed her eyes slightly. "Someone who has been observing the group's habits enough to know that I was the weakest member."

Hiei scoffed behind her, but it did little to hide his tension. When the demon didn't respond, she swallowed.

"He'll find the information he wants." She assured the other man. "He has his ways. It would be less intense for you if you just told me."

"We are too many to go by one name." The demon smirked at her, and a dullness entered his gaze. "We are plentiful. Our forced silence will be the undoing."

"Shinpi, he doesn't know." Hiei voiced and she turned to glance at him and saw his Jagan open.

"Shinpi?"

They both stopped, then slowly turned their attention to the demon in their keep. Those orange eyes burned, teeth bared in a victorious smile.

"Your reputation precedes you." He stared at her, unblinking and she got the impression he might not be alone behind his eyes.

"Hiei." She glanced at the fire demon, who shook his head just slightly.

"You've changed your hair." The demon stated with that same knowing smile. "Amon-Shinpi. The Last Takani. The Tempest Princess. Hiro is hunting for your whereabouts and he's going to find you. You and your damned allies. He'll leave nothing in his wake."

Shinpi's face turned to stone, the color of her eyes seeming darker for the total disappearance of light from them.

"I hope you haven't grown comfortable in this world. It won't protect you. _They_ won't protect you." The demon told her as Shinpi rose to her feet and marched over to Hiei. In a swift movement she pulled his sword free, nothing of patience or softness left in her. "He's told everyone of your failure. Of how you left your so-"

That final statement drowned in the wailing gurgle that erupted from the demon's throat, Shinpi having driven the sword through his mouth until the tip pierced the trunk behind him. Jerking the blade back, she slashed it across his throat and watched without pity or expression when his head rolled from his shoulders to the underbrush. Holding the sword loosely to her side, blood dripping from the tip to the leaves underneath her, she merely stared. After a moment of silence she pilfered the cloth that had been used as a gag.

After cleaning Hiei's blade with the soiled cloth, she handed it back to him then began to walk away, "Leave him to rot."

She turned a few steps later, hand on her nape as her dark blue gaze scanned the horizon. Hiei cast a look behind them, his silence both welcome and daunting. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. What had he made of her actions? Of the demon's words?

Hiei ended her thoughts for the moment, Jagan still open as he glared through the trees behind them. "I can-"

"Let's go to the temple, Hiei. I want to ask Yukina to heal me." She cut him off and started walking again, her command smooth as river stones. "There's nothing in these woods more dangerous than we are."

Hiei looked behind them again then offered a stiff nod and followed as she began to walk.

Unseen for the distance he chose to remain back from the pair, a set of dark eyes watched the woman turn and the fire demon follow. He was too far to hear them, but from what he'd seen the trapped demon had done something to earn that woman's ire. She'd acted swiftly, without mercy. Her face…

The backsmith waited for them to leave, or to at least get so far ahead they wouldn't notice him picking his way towards the body they'd left in their wake. Studying the head on the ground, then the bandana the woman had dropped unceremoniously, he frowned. He plucked the cloth from the dry leaves and noted the symbol matched the brand on the demon's slack jaw. Closer, he could see the precision behind the woman's strike. The smooth cut that had cleaved through bone and sinew.

For the General of Alaric to be so complacent must mean he was absolute in his role with this woman. Dark eyes narrowed. She didn't question the man trailing behind her with the same gait he used to stroll the streets of Alaric. Those crimson eyes had been critical, scouring through the trees to the point the blacksmith wondered if he'd been found. But when the woman spoke, the general had relented. He trusted her. It wasn't surprising, really, given the suspicion the blacksmith now harbored.

His thoughts came easily, and with them he turned to look the direction she had walked. _Those eyes. That grace. She's the one Hiro is looking for. I just need to get her away from the general._ He lifted his hand and a single raven landed on it, perched while he stroked its feathers from crown to tail gently.

"Follow them."

The bird launched itself skyward and a dozen others did the same, each vacating their trees in pursuit of his command.


	35. Little Bird

**A/N: I'm having a rough time so I'm coming off my hiatus early! I have a few chapters pre-written, which was a big part of the goal. It's been harder than I anticipated to keep from posting. Normally, updates will come on Saturdays, I just wanted a pick me up today.**

 **Also, I updated the end of ch. 34 and switched it around a little bit so the transition was smoother.**

* * *

Yukina and Shinpi drank their tea together in the living room while Hiei lounged on the windowsill, eyes closed and pretending he was alone. They'd been at the temple for a few days now and Shinpi had actually followed through with getting healed by the ice maiden. It was a nice change of pace that he hadn't had to nag her.

In fact, Shinpi hadn't actually given him time to insist on anything. The minute she'd recovered, she'd drug him into a fight until she could hardly stand. The same had happened the next day. She pushed herself until she could barely keep on her feet, exhaustion forcing her eyes to close, and then she'd try to go further. It was as admirable as it was concerning. Yukina, the third day, had been the one to insist she slow down.

Hiei had a feeling the only reason Shinpi had listened was because it was a request from the ice maiden.

So here they were, lounging. Or, he was lounging. Shinpi was engrossed in conversation with Yukina about _men_ and how to communicate with them.

Hiei desperately tried to shut them out. He hated the idea of Kuwabara touching his sister on the best days. The last thing he wanted was to have to listen to _her_ plan how to approach _him_. The assertion that she actually harbored romantic intentions towards that bumbling oaf chaffed him. But he couldn't say as much, so he was forced to hide his twitching eyebrow by turning his face toward the glass panes and away from the two women.

"I just don't know what to do." Yukina looked down at her cup with a frown, hair hanging around her face until Shinpi reached over and brushed the strands behind her ear and shoulder. There was a deep blush on her cheeks.

Discussing things of this intimate nature was embarrassing for her. Shinpi tried not to make it worse while offering her advice.

"You just tell him. I mean, Kuwabara is tiptoeing because he doesn't want to push you. It's not as though the boy has much experience himself." Shinpi shrugged before sipping her tea. "So you need to tell him you're ready."

"Really?" Yukina frowned, looking thoroughly unsure of herself.

"It always works for me." Shinpi nodded. "I mean, telling men what I want from them. Not seducing Kuwabara."

Hiei glanced over at them, stricken with horror at the mere sentiment of that statement. Shinpi giving advice on seduction to Yukina? What sort of sadistic game was this?

Maybe she was actually angry with him for not going into that trap with her and this was her idea of punishment.

"But, he's just so reserved about this. How do I even approach it without embarrassing both of us?" Yukina sat down on the sofa beside the demoness and stared at her fingers as they clenched the fabric of her dress.

"Hiei, care to help?" Shinpi called and he glared at her to hide his visible discomfort. "You just have to sit there."

"No."

"Well, too bad. We're doing this." She got up from her seat and walked over. Smiling at Yukina over her shoulder she beamed, "It's not that complicated, Yukina. Just watch."

And then she stopped beside Hiei, all while he was still fixing her with his harsh gaze. One of her hands raised slowly and cupped his cheek, her fingers slipping down his jaw, neck then arm until they found his hand. Hiei's glare lessened somewhat, his eyes glued to the cobalt of this insane woman.

"My love, darling man, I've needed you more these last weeks than ever before. I simply may break if I cannot feel the warmth of your touch. If it is the notion of perfection that keeps us apart, let's dismiss it and celebrate our imperfections together, so that it may fill us both with light. If it is some misguided sense of decency that prevents our love, let's choose to be indecent, wild and untamed, together. My love, I want nothing more than you and to wrap myself into you until I can no longer remember that we were born two creatures of separate skin. Please, do not deny me this." Shinpi spoke softly, her fingers weaving between Hiei's as she leaned into him, her proximity disorienting.

For a breath they just stared at each other and it wasn't until she pulled her hand out of his that Hiei even remembered their fingers had been intertwined. When she pulled back it was sudden for him, and he blinked.

"Or, my other failsafe." She slid her gaze to Hiei with a smirk. "Just lay naked on his bed and lick your lips when he walks in. That one is a particularly effective attack."

"Are we practicing that one too?" Hiei questioned, working his tone to be as dry as possible.

Yukina's face had gone beet red long before Shinpi had made her last quip. Watching the woman lean over Hiei, locking their gazes together with such warmth and desire, it had been something she was sure she wasn't meant to see. Hiei's expectant expression had been too much. He glared at the wolf demoness but Yukina didn't miss the confusion pulling down his brows a second later as he looked at his hand and closed it into a fist, the barest hint of a blush dusting over his cheeks and nose.

"I… I'm not sure I can pull that off." Yukina admitted, stammering. "I just don't have that kind of allure! I mean, look at you, Hichi. It must be easy for you because you radiate confidence and you're so beautiful and-"

Shinpi blushed a deep scarlet, eyes widening before she could hide her reaction to the compliments. She jerked her face away, and her mistake was turning toward Hiei. He could read her expression clearly, despite her pinching her eyes closed.

"Psh. Confidence is earned. You left a floating island on your own to traverse the Makai and came to a new world all by yourself. You're a powerful woman, Yukina and Kuwabara sees that in you too. Use it." She shoved her hands into her pockets.

When Shinpi peeled her eyes opened she blushed again, realizing Hiei was scrutinizing her with a smirk on his face. He raised his eyebrows as if to tell her he'd seen her secret, and she glared at him.

"Something to add, Hiei?" She questioned dangerously.

He only continued to smirk as he slid off the windowsill and walked passed Yukina towards the kitchen. Shinpi turned to keep him in sight, unusually wary of his motives and movements. Pausing by his twin, he glanced into those familiarly colored crimson eyes. Then he continued walking without saying a word and Shinpi pulled her brows down.

* * *

"Don't push them together." Hiei snapped at Shinpi, blocking her wooden sword and pushing it to the side as she used him to practice her katas. "Yukina can do far better than that oaf."

"Kuwabara is a good man. He adores her. Besides, I push nothing. Yukina asked for advice." She reminded him, spinning around and thrusting the blade at him. He brushed it to the side again with his own. They were moving slowly, just to get used to the movements.

This was supposed to be a rest day, after all. If Yukina caught them going full speed, she'd no doubt start hounding both of them.

"So pretend you didn't hear her." Hiei growled, parrying her attack and offering his own.

"I will not." She rolled her eyes and Hiei took that second to thrust forward, pushing her sword up and then looped his arm around hers, bending her forward awkwardly while her little toy clattered to the ground. "Dammit."

"Keep your eyes on your opponent." He chastised darkly, refusing to let her go, being sure to put enough pressure on her elbow and shoulder to prove he could snap the bones in his grip if he desired.

After a moment he finally released her, sheathing his blade and marching over to a fold out table they'd drug into the training room to accommodate water bottles, towels and various weapons. A chair remained at its side, often used by Yukina so she could watch them while working on some sewing. He threw himself into the chair and used a rag that had been set out to wipe the sweat from his face.

Shinpi followed him, drinking from her water bottle then offering it to him. He accepted it with a glare.

"Your problem is that you care too much." Hiei told her firmly. "It's a waste of your energy. Instead of focusing on Kuwabara and his training or Yukina and her _desires_ , you should be focusing on yourself."

She sighed like he was a fool who caused her little more than suffering. Then she took the water bottle from his hands and put a knee on the chair between his thighs, her arms coming to rest around his neck loosely as if she'd done this a million times. Never mind that she had never ensnared him this way before.

"Hiei, don't you realize by now that _not caring_ is the thing that drains me? It takes so much effort to ignore all the potential in those around me. I'm not accustomed to it, not even after all this time. I just want to see all of you thrive and succeed and I _know_ I can make it happen." Shinpi breathed against the top of his head and it unsettled his hair in a way that tingled his scalp.

Or maybe that was the effect of her fingers playing through the coarse strands of black, her arms twined around his neck, her mouth pressed to his forehead. Not knowing what else to do, Hiei allowed his hands to grip her hips and he took a deep breath of the wash of her scent.

"I can't help but interfere and try to help." Shinpi went on, her fingers twirling in the hairs on the back of his head and driving his eyes to close at the sensation. "Giving that up is unnatural to me, it's like asking myself to never step foot in a storm again."

A horribly specific example that only applied to her, Hiei mused. No one else would understand that reference.

"It's like asking me not to fight." Hiei ventured, and she hummed against the top of his head, her cheek now pressed to his crown. His left hand grasped his right forearm around her back, the action keeping the woman in place.

"How can you bare it? Watching him waste his potential."

"I've never seen much potential in Kuwabara."

"Liar." The accusation was well-meaning and Hiei pulled back to look up into her eyes with his narrowed. "You see more than you say."

As he looked up into her eyes, filled with warmth and comfort, he agreed with her. He saw far more sometimes than he meant to, and he rarely commented on it. It wasn't until the moment their eyes met that he fully realized she'd straddled his lap with one of her knees, her other foot still on the ground, arms wrapped round him and drawing him close.

And he hadn't stopped her from crawling this close. He should have shoved her back, broken her hold, but he didn't. He wouldn't.

"Do you want me to move?" She asked him quietly, gaze softening under the probing heat of his attention.

Hiei didn't answer at first and when she went to withdraw he moved his hands back to her hips, keeping her in place.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you can read my mind." He admitted.

"I don't need to. You say everything you need to." She lowered her voice and it was warm. "I've worn masks for too long not to read through them on someone else."

"Am I wearing a mask?"

"Are you not?"

"Don't answer my questions with questions." Hiei frowned at her and she laughed, tipping her head back with the sound. It spilled her hair down her shoulders, ink black in the darkness. Once, it looked like a shroud around her, not now. "Shinpi."

"Hiei?" She questioned happily and then dropped her smile when he tugged her closer, his face tipped up so that his next words grazed her chin.

"Laugh more." He demanded and the words stole the breath from her lungs as she stared down at him, his eyes half-closed.

He watched her throat move as she swallowed. Then he released her, pushing her back carefully so he could stand. "Let's practice that sequence again. And this time try not to take your eyes off your opponent."

"Keep my eyes on your handsome face? I will do my best." She teased him and trotted passed him to collect her wooden sword from the floor.

"When are you going to give up on that twig and ask for your sword back?" He demanded, unamused.

"En garde, Hiei." She attacked and he was forced to drop the conversation so he could focus on putting her in her place.

* * *

Shinpi hammered nails into the wood, determined to get the frame of the greenhouse at least partially completely during this visit to the temple. Winter wasn't that far off. The trees had already begun to shed their leaves, shades of red and gold creating an ocean of fire around the temple. She had told Yukina she'd get it done. Despite the ice maiden assuring her it was fine if it didn't happen, and not to push herself, Shinpi found herself devoted to the task when she wasn't training with Hiei.

It kept her hands busy and her mind focused on something other than almost dying. Even still, she was cataloguing her weaknesses and trying to figure out how to reduce them. Exposure therapy seemed the most apt route. Maybe she'd start with heights? Climb some trees. Stand on the edge of a cliff or two. Maybe she'd learn to jump again, and trust herself to land safely.

Her heart hammered at the very idea of it which was exactly the response she wanted to beat out of herself. Wiping her sweat slicked palms on her pants, she frowned and stood to stretch. That's when she heard it, the softest sound of someone approaching her. Brow furrowed, she turned, appearing relaxed as she made to gauge her newest assailant.

"You need to come with me." The dark haired man reached for Shinpi's wrist as she turned around, confusion pulling her brows downward. He dwarfed her by more than a foot. His fingers grazed her skin, and he saw her eyes widen as her hair shifted in a breeze. His own dark eyes grew large as he recoiled.

Appearing from nowhere, Hiei wasted no time, slashing his sword crossways and cutting through the front of the man's tunic while throwing one arm behind him to shove Shinpi back. Crimson eyes narrowed, glowing with rage, teeth bared in the sunlight.

Shinpi had only a second to recover, stepping forward with her hand out. "No! Wait!"

But they couldn't hear her. The blacksmith was skittering backwards on his toes as Hiei advanced without pause or mercy. The taller man spun, pulling two knives from the leather sheaths on either of his sides to meet Hiei's blade blow for blow. He couldn't seem to get the upper hand but he was careful not to let the fire demon land a critical hit. They parried with one another, spinning and lashing out violently. Hiei lunged forward and the blacksmith narrowed his eyes, jumping back.

Pressing her lips together and then gritting her teeth Shinpi called out once more. "Stand down!"

Again, she was ignored in favor of the sound of metal clanging against metal. Hiei managed to cut one of the other's wrists, the knife held in that hand flying through the air with a spray of blood as the blacksmith tried to recover. Massive black wings tore through the back of his tunic, shredding the material as they spread. He formed his hands into a triangle, hot white energy forming in the center of the shape and aimed at Hiei.

There was no other option. Hiei was on a warpath and he wouldn't stop until he'd done his job, she realized. He was protecting her ferociously, and she was flattered. Really. Unfortunately, this wasn't someone she needed protection from. With a sigh, she unraveled her Infinity Chain from her wrist and launched herself into the fray. Dashing around Hiei, she lassoed the taller man and pulled the chain taut forcing him to the ground and cutting off his intended attack before she turned, her hands spread wide to face Hiei as he made to continue his assault.

A rather colorful and vulgar string of words fell from his mouth as he adjusted last second, his sword sliding over her shoulder and missing her neck by less than an inch. Severed strands of black filtered to the ground slowly, cut by his blade. Shinpi didn't flinch. She merely pinned him with a stare, her breathing steady.

"Move!" Hiei snapped at her, throwing one hand to the side. "I'll deal with this-"

Movement behind her made Shinpi narrow her eyes. Her voice came out in a cold hiss. "What part of _stand down_ have you forgotten the meaning of?"

"I do not take orders from you!" Hiei reminded her hotly.

"Not you!" She allowed her hands to fall back to her sides, one blue eye catching the man behind her in a glare. "Him."

Then she let the Infinity Chain fall loose, the man behind her freed from his bonds. Hands on her hips, Shinpi turned to narrow her attention on him, having to tilt her head back to glare upwards into his face.

"Give him a chance to explain himself, Hiei. You won't be wasting your patience." Shinpi didn't let her attention stray. Then she nodded to the intruder. "Go on. Say your piece, you massive idiot."

But the man didn't speak, he merely stared at her with his mouth open in muted awe. His wet his lips and looked almost reverent as he assessed her.

"You speak just like her." He breathed the words then moved down to kneel with one knee on the ground, his head bowed. As they watched the wings closed around his arms, melding against his skin until they sank into him, disappearing and transforming into tattoos of black features that engulfed his back and arms down to the wrists. "Please understand, I didn't come here to harm you. I came to protect you. You're the last of your bloodline and it's my sworn duty as the last Right Hand to keep you safe. It was a title bestowed on me by the last King Takani before her death."

Hiei stiffened, his hand tightening on the wrapped hilt of his blade. Crimson eyes darted to Shinpi, finding her expression carved from marble. They moved back to the man kneeling.

Dark eyes shot to him, a withering look full of distrust and distaste.

Shinpi looked between them, clearly unamused. Then raking her fingers through her bangs and pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead she sighed. The tension between the two men could have played a tune if she'd have plucked at it, she was certain.

"Honestly, one would have thought you'd have learned _something_ in the last few decades." She complained. "I'm no king, little bird. On your feet."

She followed with a dialect Hiei didn't understand, but their captive obviously did. The minute the blacksmith stood, gaping at the familiar name falling from unfamiliar lips, her palm collided with his cheek careening him back to the ground. Shinpi shook her hand out, the skin stinging. That dialect turned harsh for a moment and he responded meekly before she switched back to Japanese.

"You have no business challenging a master swordsman to a fight!" She yelled, waving her hands wildly. "What the hell were you thinking you giant oaf! He would have killed you! Hiei is highly trained and outpaces you by miles! You're not even _good_ with bladed weapons! Honestly, Hayato, are you trying to give me a heart attack?! What were you even thinking?!"

Hiei snapped his attention to her when she dropped the man's name so weightlessly. The blacksmith too looked gobsmacked, his mouth hanging open uselessly as the woman laid into him, bent at her waist, on hand cutting aggressively through the air. All at once his eyes misted and he heaved an unsteady, jagged breath.

"Amon-Shinpi?" He scanned over her, and she stopped.

"Yeah, Hai, it's me." She nodded and he rushed her. His arms encircled her waist as he remained on his knees, his face buried in her chest while her arms wound around his head.

Hiei felt bile rise up, burning the back of his throat when Shinpi brushed her fingers through the man's long black hair. She had tears in her eyes too, streaming down her face unbidden as the man repeated her name in an endless loop. She spoke his softly, murmuring sweet comforts in a mixture of whatever language they shared and Japanese. _Little bird_. Hiei remembered, that's what she'd called the man responsible for her life before him. The one who'd failed. The one she'd claimed to miss every day. And he couldn't deny that declaration, because he could see it when she looked down into those dark eyes. There was a light in her face he'd never seen before, a relief born of sadness. Of finding something thought long lost.

She brushed her thumb over the wet tracks on the man's cheeks, cupping his face and bowed her face to plant a kiss on his forehead and _Hayato_ , closed his eyes, crying like a fool. Those large hands pressed against the expanse of her back, keeping her as close as possible. There was no hesitation or shame in the display. He strung his fingers through the ends of her black hair and studied her face.

With heavy emotion he asked, "What happened to you?"

Shinpi smiled at him, soft and unlike anything Hiei had ever seen. He hated it. He hated that this man who had failed her pried that gentle expression from her. He hated that she could be so comfortable in his arms, touching him, kissing him, crying with him. He hated that even after what was surely decades of separation these two were still so disgustingly close when it had taken him all this time to get remotely comfortable in Shinpi's embrace.

"I died." Shinpi spoke with soft warmth. "It's a long story from there my friend, but I'll be happy to tell you. On a condition, that is."

Hayato narrowed his eyes slightly, confused. "Whatever you want, m'lord."

"I will answer all your questions," she brushed more tears from his cheeks, once again cupping his face and tipping his head so she could properly see his expression. And also so she could control where he looked, "but only if you answer all of _his_."

Dark eyes moved from her cobalt gaze to meet Hiei's stone-faced stare. He swallowed, obviously at odds with his command, but he agreed to it none the less.

"I think this is a conversation that will require tea." Shinpi stepped back and sniffled, catching her breath and erasing any trace of tears from her skin. She turned to Hiei and he offered nothing in response to the careful, warm smile she paid him. Her feet carried her to him and the blacksmith followed, watching the interaction with great reservation as she took Hiei's hand in her own and placed a kiss to his palm. "With the two of you in one spot I almost feel as though I've already won."

Hiei pulled his hand from hers slowly, an act to cover how desperately he wanted to rage. This man had failed her. He had let her die. He had no right to turn up claiming to be a protector. Shinpi had wasted her tears on him. She had wasted that kind expression. She didn't need this damn Hayato. He had already proven himself useless. She needed _him_. She could win with _him_.

"Let's get started then." He kept his voice as even and empty as possible and the woman nodded before starting toward the temple.


	36. Break the Dam

**Honestly, thank the gods I wrote so much ahead of time because my brain turned to absolute mush this week. I blame thekazumakuwabara and yyhfanfiction over on tumblr for their Kuwabara Birthday Week celebrations because he's all I've been able to think about. That and things I can't put into this story yet. Intimate things. I'm a mess.**

 **Anyway, I really loved writing this chapter and in a rare thing: I still loved it when I reread it. I think it's emotional and it's raw and I'm glad I wrote it and I really hope you guys like it. I'd love to hear our opinions!**

 **Thank you guys to everyone who reviewed! And thank you to the person who messaged me on tumblr, you made my life. Seriously. I needed that boost. 3**

 **Would you guys like it if I started doing what other authors do and write out the usernames of people who reviewed? I read each and every one of your comments. I wasn't sure if you'd enjoy being on display? Let me know if that's something you guys are into! Love y'all.**

* * *

Hayato landed on the stone floor, teeth clacking together as his chin hit the ground. With a groan, he rolled to his side, spitting out blood and turning to eye the men who'd cast him into this tiny cell. They marched off without a second look.

"You must've upset someone important for them to gift me with your presence."

The amused, light tone earned a strange look from him as he turned to spy the other occupant of the cell. His eyes bore into the girl, confusion sweeping over his pained expression. What was a creature like that doing in this god awful prison? Large blue eyes sitting in a face framed by flaming red hair, a brightness to the cobalt hue that juxtaposed everything going on around them. And a grin pulling feminine lips to the left.

"A crow?" The girl tipped her head to the side, uncoiling herself from the bunk in the corner.

"Raven."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes."

"My apologies, I'm still relatively new to all the differences in the world." She watched him limp to his feet and craned her back to look up at his face. "My, you looked much smaller on the ground. You're quite a large man. I'm Amon-Shinpi. Your name?"

"Hayato." He offered quietly, breathing shallowly through the pain threatening to buckle his knees.

"Hayato. That's sort of lovely." She offered him a bright smile and it made him step away from her. "You're in bad shape. What did they do to you?"

"Broke my wings." He swallowed and looked over his shoulder as the mass of black feathers quivering on his back. The agony was immense, and without his wings he couldn't fly. It had been his only real hope of fleeing this place.

"Such a harsh punishment. For what?" She stepped closer to him, moving slightly to the side to spy his back. He turned to keep it from her, eyes narrowing and he said nothing. "Ah, a secret then."

He frowned at her deduction, pressing his lips together.

"It must be a very great secret if you were willing to suffer so much to keep it. So, my guess is that it's not your secret to tell." She paced around to the other side and he turned as she moved, keeping his chest facing her.

Again, her suspicion was met with silence which she seemed to accept as affirmations of her claims. With a nod of her head she put her hands on her hips and looked over her newest cellmate. Well over six feet tall, easily, angled dark eyes and a sharp nose. Dark hair spilling over his broad shoulders. But he lacked the telltale physique of a fighter, despite the muscles lining his arms. Her attention moved to his hands, noting the rough texture of his palms and she flashed out and gripped one, grazing her fingers over his skin. He yanked away from her, hissing as his back hit the wall.

"A craftsman." She spoke quietly, thinking. "What possible secret could a carpenter be harboring that would place him here? Something important. Something necessary."

She turned away from him and began to pace the cell, lost in thought as he watched her. Then she slammed a fist onto her open palm, lifting her chin and glancing at him from the side.

"Information that could cripple this raggedy empire." She surmised and her expression glinted in the dim light. "A lesser man may have sold out his allies to spare himself pain. I've met many of those types in recent years. Yet you endured. Your loyalty must be unbreakable."

"What are you doing here? You don't seem to be in bad shape for a prisoner." Hayato swallowed.

"Prisoner? Oh no. I let them capture me. I'm here because I want to be." Amon-Shinpi beamed at him. "I've been away from home for some years after killing my grandfather, and after some exploration and training I'm finally ready to face my family. However, along the way I heard about this tiny little compound and its arrogant leader and I got the overwhelming urge to destroy it all."

She spread her hands as if to say, as you do, and continued to smile, her tone light and warm.

"You-you're insane." Hayato blinked at her. "How are you hoping to destroy this place?"

"Sheer overwhelming force." She shrugged. "But it's proven difficult for me to get close the chief seeing as how I've killed my last few cellmates. Granted, it was all in self-defense really. Just because I'm female doesn't make me an easy or willing target and if one broken bone doesn't deter a temper then what am I to do?"

"You killed them?"

"It's never my first option." Amon-Shinpi sighed. "I grew up in a pacifistic household. I try diplomacy first, always, but some demons just don't heed to reason."

"Are you going to kill me?" Hayato stared at her, wondering how exactly this tiny creature was intending to do it. Not that he'd be able to put up much of a fight at the moment.

"Of course not." She blinked, surprised. "You're injured. Not to mention learning a craft takes time, dedication, and patience. I could use a friend like you."

A friend? She was crazy. Utterly insane.

"Now, stop being dodgy and let me heal you." She stalked toward him. He shuffled away. She sighed, expression dulling. "Are you really going to make me do this?"

"Do what?" He asked cautiously. "You just said you weren't going to kill me. Are you a liar?"

"I keep my word." She raised her eyebrows. Then she lunged at him.

And gods was she fast. He didn't even see her move before he felt her hand around his wrist jerking him to the wall, birthing a cry of shock and pain from his lungs. Her foot hooked under his shin, forcing him to grab the bars of their cell door to keep upright. The girl's hand planted in the space between his massive wings. Very suddenly a wash of warmth flooded through him, first grazing over his skin and then delving deeper until it wound through his bones. He screamed as the bones of his wings reset, snapping back together and shifting. It was just as painful as them breaking had been. His knuckles turned white against the bars, his arms and legs shaking. And then, it was over.

Hayato ground his teeth together, slowly regaining his strength as he pulled himself upright. Turning around, eyes wild with fury, he stared down this atrocious little monster. But she didn't flinch. Instead, her hand raised and she grazed his cheek with her fingertips, expression soft.

"I know it hurts. Recovery often can." She pitched her voice lower. "But you did well, my little bird. Spread your wings, if you can."

He lost all the anger immediately, and at her command unfurled his wings. The cell proved too small for him to expand them completely. It was with a suppressed cry of joy that he realized they worked.

"You've saved my life." He told her. "Why?"

"You were in pain." She offered in return, shrugging. "Stay close to me, Hayato, and I will lead you to freedom. Once we are out of here you will be able to fly home."

"I'm not a carpenter, I'm a blacksmith. I forge all sorts of weaponry. That's why they brought me here. I've been arming the opposition and they wanted to know how many there were."

The quiet truth hung between them and Amon-Shinpi nodded, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Can you fight?"

"Adequately, if I'm pressed."

She leveled him with a look that made him think she was arguing with him. "Right. Well, I think I'll take the lead on that front. Perhaps you could just make sure I'm armed."

"How? The only time prisoners are allowed weapons is when they are in the arena." Hayato watched her rock her weight back onto her heels, where she balanced for a moment with her hands still clasped behind her back.

Then she grinned with a particular glint in her eye and even without knowing her, he knew this only meant trouble. Trouble for him. Trouble for their captors. Trouble for pretty much everyone except the redhead herself.

Hayato was right.

He suspected, to himself, that Amon-Shinpi was the sort of demon that found chaos appealing because it allowed her the opportunity to demonstrate her quick wit and pluck. As the other prisoners stormed the stands of the arena, laying waste to the warlord's people, Amon-Shinpi herself used the spears Hayato threw to run up the high walls of the fighting floor so she could face the man in charge. All according to her plans.

Was insanity or ingenious? He couldn't rightly tell. But it worked.

Amon-Shinpi had demanded a chance to battle Hayato in combat, apparently something she'd refused to do up until that point. It had taken a few days, but they'd been drug from their cell and tossed onto the blood muddied dirt of the arena floor, spears shoved into each of their hands. Hayato hadn't stood a chance. She swept him off his feet immediately, not even bothering to pretend he was her match.

Then, with her arms raised in victory she demanded to face the chief.

Of course she'd been denied.

Which was her plan. She began speaking about his cowardice. How could a man who claimed to want to dominate the world refuse a challenge? She was but a mere woman, starved for days, tired, and he was afraid of her. Whispers had begun through the stands and when that still did nothing to bring the ruler to her, she gave up.

That was when she killed the two guards in the arena, then tossed their keys to the other prisoners who waited in the wings. It took no time at all for the rest of the captives to be released and to overrun the stands in their fury.

And less time for Amon-Shinpi to direct Hayato into playing his part, aiding her in getting to the chief.

"Enough!" Her voice cut through the screams of rage and fear as she stood on top of the wall, the ruler's head dangling from her crimson hand. "You will not become the beasts you've been accused of being!"

The fighting stopped, the prisoners shifting to listen to her.

"Go back to your families, to your lands. Spread word that this trial is over. And remind yourself of how disparaging it was to be in bonds the next time you think of doing the same to your neighbors." She tossed the head over her shoulder and hopped from the height to land beside Hayato. "Are you ready to fly, little bird?"

"Where are you going to go?" He asked her quietly, amazed that at her heeding the others had all begun to flee the camp.

She looked uncertainly toward the sky, and when she let her gaze meet his again she looked tired. "Home, I think. If they'll have me."

"Would you like to join me first? I'd like to show you where I come from. Perhaps I can repay you with some weapons." His offer made her smile, and after a few seconds of consideration, she nodded.

* * *

"And we were together from that point forward." Shinpi smiled, holding her teacup as Genkai, Hiei and Yukina all listened in rapt attention to the story Hayato and the woman wove together. "So, as they say, the rest is history."

"You haven't told me what happened to you." Hayato spoke quietly. "Why are you so small?"

That made Hiei raise an eyebrow. Shinpi shot the man a curt look. "Don't call me small."

"It's good to see some things haven't changed." Hayato smiled then, a teasing expression. "But you must admit, you're not exactly-"

"And what right do you have to question me and my limitations, _C-class_." Shinpi warned him and it made him chuckle. "You've been slacking on your training. What the hell have you been up to these years?"

"I went back to the mountain." He told her, watching her carefully.

Shinpi furrowed her brow, bothered by this information. "I'm sorry, Hai. If I could've seen the future, I would have never allowed you to join me."

"I refuse to think of it as a mistake. I would happily go through it all again, if it meant getting to stand at your side once more." He reached over took one of her hands into his own, smoothing her fingers out of the fist she'd made.

Hiei tensed at the easy display of affection between them. Shinpi accepted it so willingly, the man's casual caresses. Part of him wanted to prove she could find that comfort in him too by snatching her other hand. Instead he remained fixed in place against the wall, glowering. But part of him was pleased that she'd so easily dodged the raven's goading at revealing her situation. Maybe she didn't trust him after all.

"You're at my side now." Shinpi squeezed Hayato's fingers, a reticent smile not touching her eyes. "Which is more than I ever dreamed. I'm happy to see your face, Hai. I don't think I realized how much I missed it."

Hiei's hopes for her distrust crashed with those words. He openly rolled his eyes.

"How did you find her?" Hiei asked, feeling he was the only one who cared about the answer. "Shinpi has gone through great effort to keep herself hidden."

Hayato glanced at the fire demon, eyes narrowed slightly. In a whisper he addressed Shinpi. "You allow him to get away with such disrespect?"

"I offered the name to them all." She patted his knee. "Now answer his question."

"I do not answer to the authorities of Alaric." Hayato openly sneered at the mere idea. "I hold no respect for that place."

"And yet you take no issue with selling your wares there." Hiei responded hotly. "I can have your permissions rescinded, you petulant fool."

"The Gandarian market is better anyway." Hayato dared him.

The same tension from outside came back to life causing Shinpi to pull her hand from Hayato's leg and raise an eyebrow, shifting her eye from one man to the other.

"I cannot force you to keep your word, Hayato, but I'm disappointed you'd retract it so quickly." Shinpi offered coolly, sipping her tea. "Outside you agreed to answer any of Hiei's questions."

Hiei smirked when the man stiffened. Maybe this side of Shinpi had a point after all. Her deference for language had goaded him more than once but now it held its own usefulness. Quiet hung between all the room's occupants for a moment before Hayato sunk into his shoulders slightly, glaring off to the side, chewing his tongue before finally sighing.

"I followed you, General of Alaric. I would recognize that sword anywhere. I thought you'd stolen it, as is in your nature." Hayato finally spoke, refusing to look Hiei in the eye. "It took me a while to track you, but the tongues of the masses wag loosely. I eventually caught wind of where you frequented when you weren't allowing Mukuro to prop her feet on your back. So I came, and I saw the two of you in the woods. From there I used my assets to keep track of you until I found a moment to speak to m'lord alone."

It seemed Shinpi's hatred of Mukuro was infectious, Hiei thought.

"Did anyone else notice the sword?" Shinpi turned to Hayato curiously.

"Not that I was able to tell. Most everyone gives him a wide berth." The response turned the raven toward Shinpi once more. "I had heard that Hiro was looking for a Takani descendent in Human World. I assumed the general had found you first. I came to retrieve you."

"Valiant, if not moronic." Shinpi chuckled, looking away to try to hide the humor on her face. It did nothing to quell the sound of it in her voice. "Did you not think he'd challenge you over a prize such as myself?"

Hiei snorted at that. "Your arrogance is showing again."

"You _did_ challenge him." Shinpi pointed out with blatant amusement. Hiei stiffened, then glared away from her.

"I thought you were being kidnapped again." Hiei muttered darkly. "You froze up when he reached for you. I had no choice."

"It's not a complaint, Hiei. In fact, I'm sincerely flattered." She giggled lightly and hid it behind her hand, cutting her eyes away again. "You looked the same as you did when we fought over Yukina."

"It's not the same at all." Hiei snapped at her and it only made her grin while trying not to look at him. "Stupid woman."

Hayato slid his gaze between the two of them and openly frowned at what he found. "M'lord, please tell me I'm mistaken."

"You know how much I disparage lying, Hai." She shot him a teasing grin.

"I see you've chosen not to make taking care of you any easier." He spoke dully. "As usual I should expect an uphill battle."

"She doesn't need you to take care of her." Hiei glared at him.

"Because she has you?" Hayato challenged.

"Shinpi is capable of taking care of herself. I can't imagine her tolerating your useless doting." Hiei pointed out. "She's a warrior. She has no need for a failed protector."

"There is no shame in accepting help." Hayato rolled his eyes. "What do you know? I've stood beside m'lord for over a century. You offer me nothing about her I do not already understand."

That struck a visible chord in Hiei, making him ball his hands into fists where they were tucked against his chest under his arms. His jaw tightened. His eyes flashed to Shinpi, waiting for her to rebut this claim.

"Shinpi." She spoke quietly, setting her teacup down. Hayato glanced at her. "Or Hichi if you'd prefer, Hai, but do not call me m'lord."

Shock widened Hayato's dark eyes, his lips parting in preparation for argument.

"But-"

"That time has long passed." She cut him off without looking at him. Her eyes instead were glued to Hiei's probing glare.

Hayato swallowed his argument. He followed her attention to Hiei, and saw the fire demon smirk, looking thoroughly satisfied with this response. That lit a fire in the raven's blood, his eyes narrowing darkly. This man. He was going to be the death of her. He was keeping her from coming to her senses and coming _home_. And she seemed content with this development, as if she didn't care she was being manipulated. Crimson eyes turned to him and that expression turned taunting, as if daring Hayato to say something.

Then Hiei pushed off the wall and made his way to the door.

"You're not staying?" Shinpi asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I already know this piece of your story." He told her over his shoulder. " _Intimately_."

She squinted at him, and he knew she was picking up on the fact he was posturing. Just slightly. But she didn't call him on it, instead turning back to Hayato. "I'll stick to the facts. After I died…"

* * *

There wasn't a moment the raven wasn't stuck to Shinpi's side. Hiei found that wherever the woman went the bird followed on her heels. An annoyance at best and downright inconvenient at worst. He found himself beginning to avoid even entering the temple outside of getting food. Even then, he made it quick.

Seeing them together unsettled his stomach.

How many men had Shinpi had? She'd been with Hiro when she died, but apparently also Hayato, whose stupid idealistic loyalty remained steadfast even now. He wanted to question her about their relationship. He wanted to demand to know why she allowed this utter failure to touch her so casually. Why did the raven get to post himself in her room late into the night? What were they doing?

Were they _best friends_ too?

Jealousy was a petty emotion. A waste of his time. He tried to dismiss it, tried to ignore it and pretend it was something else. He wanted to convince himself that he was just angry the woman had accepted Hayato back into her life without pause because the man had so completely failed her. But it was hard to deny the desire to rip the bastard's fingers off whenever they brushed hair away from Shinpi's face or took her hand.

Not to mention it was just _disgusting_ to witness. A demon as powerful as Shinpi allowing herself to so openly display her affection for another? It was unthinkable. It would only provoke her enemies. It was obvious how much she cared for the raven. Anyone could that against her. And vice versa, because the man's devotion to her rung clear in his every action.

And Shinpi had made no move to shirk off her new guard. She didn't fight him or push him away. It seemed natural, the way she accepted Hayato's company. That bothered him almost as much as the fact that she'd done little to reach out to him since the raven's arrival. The man's presence was a nuisance, but Shinpi's absence?

That just left a bitter coating on the back of his tongue.

….

A week passed and Shinpi locked up in another match with Hayato. They hurled their energy at one another far away from the temple. She was determined to bring forth some former glory from the lapsed fighter. He seemed content with being her punching bag, challenging her more for her benefit than his own.

"You've changed." Hayato accused, spinning around and unleashing another light attack at Shinpi, who deftly dodged it, flipping through the air to land in a crouch. "You've lost sight of what's important."

"There is nothing more important than Hiro's blood coating my hands." She hissed at him, rushing forward.

Hiei watched, impassive, from a tree. Shinpi showed no restraint with Hayato. There was no hesitation in her movements, no fear. She trusted him to get out of her way or suffer the consequences. He seethed at the display of it.

God, he wanted to rip that man's wings right off his back. He wanted to render him useless.

Shinpi should be sparring with _him_. She should be showing him those dangerous teeth, revealed in a snarl. It should be them driving each other to new heights, not this bastard. He had no business being here. If he were the woman, Hiei'd have killed the traitor on sight.

"You need to get your head in the game, m'lord. Your people need you. You've mourned long enough."

Hiei jumped from the branch he'd been lounging, landing softly as Hayato bounced off the ground roughly only to be punched back down into it, Shinpi standing over him with a look of sheer rage and disgust twisting her features. Her shoulders heaved with every breath. Crimson eyes admired her expression, the tension tightening her muscles in a display of self-control he wished she'd give up on.

"And how long did you mourn, little bird?" She asked him dangerously, stepping on his chest as her eyes darkened. "A day? A night? A month? A week? Do not pretend to understand my motives. If you came to retrieve a willing king, you will be left wanting."

"Your people need you." He repeated. " _I_ need you, Hichi. Your duty is to your people."

"Duty." She sneered the word. "They are Hiro's people now."

"This place has warped you. It has made you forget your honor. You've grown weak."

For a moment, Hiei thought she actually might kill the raven. She certainly looked capable of the act. He saw all emotion slip out of her face, her dark gaze growing empty. And then she slammed her fist into the ground beside the man's head and dirt and grass flew upwards, the earth underneath cracking and bowing under the force of her anger. Hayato remained still, either trusting that she wouldn't actually cave in his skull or realizing there was nothing he could do if she wanted to, Hiei wasn't sure. But the crater dipped under his shoulder and caused him to look to the side at Shinpi's shaking arm.

Hiei uncrossed his arms, eyes narrowed on man studying Shinpi. Maybe he wasn't so useless. If nothing else, he'd set the stage for a surely epic fight between himself and the woman.

"Time to stop playing around Shinpi." Hiei announced, locking his gaze onto hers as she uncoiled herself slowly. Emptiness met him, a shell of a woman drowned in rage and something else. Something she desperately didn't want him to see. Maybe she didn't want to see it either. He smirked at her viciously. "Stop wasting your energy on him. It'll never satisfy you."

"I'm not interesting in your games today." She spoke in that authoritarian tone she sometimes used, hoping to push him back he was sure.

"It wasn't a request. You will fight me." He assured her, tipping his head to the side slightly.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll probably kill you." He surged forward, slamming his fist into her chest. It forced her back from Hayato, who scrambled to his feet, calling out in anger. "Stay out of it, _little bird_ , you're no match for her when she's like this."

"And you think you are?" Shinpi let the arm she'd wrapped around her middle fall to her side, peering at Hiei through her bangs.

"Prove me wrong, _princess_." Hiei drawled the title in the way he knew she hated most. "Let me taste this rage of yours. It seems my flavor."

They paced around one another, practiced steps moving them in a slow circle.

Shinpi moved forward first, her aura slamming into Hiei as she rushed toward him only to crouch low and thrust herself upwards, her palm biting into the underside of his jaw with enough force to snap his head back, his teeth smacking together. He tasted blood instantly and it delighted him. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and slammed his knee into her side twice before casting her to the side like a ragdoll. No more playing, no more careful evasions of true pain. He would break her into jagged pieces and sew her back together stronger than she'd ever been. Every ounce of anger in her would be expended by the end of this fight, he'd be sure of it. He'd exhaust her beyond what she thought possible. And then, after, he'd force her to talk to him about her child.

Because she needed to stop falling prey to her anger over it. She could mourn all she liked but he'd be damned if he let that make her sloppy. These reactions were a weakness and she had to learn to compensate for them. She had to make that power _hers_.

"Get lost." Hiei didn't look at Hayato when he made his demand. "You're only cannon fodder."

"How dare you!" Hayato snarled.

"Go away." Both men stared at Shinpi as she regarded only Hiei. "He's right. You're only going to distract me."

"That look in your eyes thrills me." Hiei told her, letting it show on his face how much he meant the words. "So cold, so vicious. I wonder what else I can pry loose from your vault, Shinpi."

Her next attack, a punch coupled with her wind, sent him hurtling through the tree line, breaking through a few younger pine trees on his way. It felt good, knowing she was directing all of this intention at him. She knew he could take her at her worst. Something Hayato apparently could not do for her. No, this was his skill and his alone. He relished in that knowledge as he got to his feet and slammed into Shinpi full force. She flipped through the air and sprang off a boulder, the action rolling the massive rock free of its resting place.

They met each other in a flurry of punches and kicks, bobbing and weaving around one another. Neither of them pulling their punches, neither of them stopping to check on the other. Shinpi made to slam her hand against his ear and he felt the disruption in the air and bent backwards under it, using the heel of his palm to shove her arm away. He grunted as her knee shoved into his spine, then her elbow into his chest. Springing back, Hiei spit a glob of blood to the side.

Her arm wound around his throat from behind and he used that action to throw her over his shoulder, wrenching her arm to the side in the action and hoping to dislocate the joint. She didn't allow it, her body twisting on the way down, her other hand shoving a ball of air against his stomach and forcing him back on his toes.

Hiei growled and came again, landing a punch to her jaw, then another under her chin that sent her through the air. She landed with an audible groan, but didn't let it deter her as she surged to her feet and wiped the blood from her mouth with her arm before spitting more to the side. They tangled up again.

No matter how hard he hit her, she came back. She refused to dance back out of his grasp and Hiei wondered if she wanted him to beat the sense back into her. She seemed a glutton for punishment today. Her usually carefully planned attacks were rough. Her mistakes were plentiful.

Not that she seemed to care.

And he refused to buckle under the brunt of her fury. He allowed her to give as good as she got. He accepted his own dose of pain without complaint, every landed strike from her feet and fists only managing to drive him to try harder. He wanted to find her threshold. He wanted to shove her off the cliff that she thought was her limit and force her to find more in herself.

They'd ruined probably a quarter acre of forest by the time she finally captured him. Sweeping Hiei's feet out from under him, she held fast onto his neck, lifting him off the ground completely. It had been his mistake, moving in so close when she'd offered an opening, but he didn't regret it.

Shinpi slammed him into the ground by his throat, her fingers tightening around his neck, her nails digging into his skin. Hiei panted, grunting when she roughly pushed her knee into his solar plexus. Her eyes looked worn, suddenly, and her body trembled from exertion. There it was, he decided, her limit. They'd been fighting without restraint for hours. He was surprised by her stamina, once again, knowing how much she was actually pouring into this. Sweat plastered her bangs to her forehead, dripping down the line of her jaw and soaking her shirt. The droplets mixed with the blood pouring from her nose and lip. She smelled of blood, salt and the elements.

An undeniable pang of attraction heated his guts at the image, this weathered woman feeling like an ocean barely contained and overwhelming him. He slid his bandaged hand up the arm of the hand gripping his throat and made no move to get out from underneath her.

"This is how you're meant to be." He told her around the pressure in his throat refusing to look away. He would scorch this image into his memory. He wouldn't lose a single detail.

Her eyes misted, and he saw her anger buckle and crack from under her giving way to what lay below. With an unsteady breath her lip trembled.

"I'm a disgrace. A coward without all that honor you've admired." She went to let him go and Hiei grabbed her wrist to pin her hand in place around his neck, his eyes glowing as they bored into her. "I cannot lead them again, I will only destroy them. Destroy them the way I've destroyed everything else."

"You cannot be blamed for the actions of madmen, Shinpi." Hiei told her firmly. "Burdening yourself with this is a mistake. It will weigh you down and rob you of your goals."

"Hayato views me as more than I am, as he's always done."

"I disagree. I think he's complicit in limiting you."

She tucked her chin down, closing her eyes. "He's right. It's my duty to lead. They were my people and I turned my back on them."

"You're no king." Hiei's words made her wince. "Look at me."

"I cannot." She admitted, still shaking and trying to keep the tears at bay. "I cannot bear to see it on your face and his in the same day, Hiei."

"Look at me!" He reached up and grabbed her face with both hands, forcing her to face him. The fingers against his throat grew lax, soft. Her eyes opened against her will, her expression broken and fragile. He hated it. It was unnatural and disgusting. He wanted that rabid warrior back. "Reclaiming the throne will not bring him back."

Her eyes flashed wide and she grew still in his hands, over him. Hiei kept his expression as neutral as he could as the woman above him stopped breathing.

"Taking on another burden for others will not make up for the loss of your child." He didn't blink, didn't look away from her.

Her fingers moved from his throat to his shirt, balling in the fabric so harshly that her nails cut him through the material. He didn't wince. He didn't dare to. She'd gone back to trembling and he wasn't sure if it was fear or anger shaking her bones now.

"When?" She demanded of him, breathing haggard. "When did you find out? Who told you? _How do you know this?"_

"I've known since my first trip back to Mukuro's." Hiei told her.

"So long." She breathed the words, staring at him as if waiting for more. On edge, no longer a predator but prey backed into a corner and unable to escape from something more powerful than herself. "You've known for so long and you said nothing."

"It didn't matter if you knew I knew. It only mattered that I made you strong enough to achieve your revenge."

"Why?"

He didn't answer her so she pulled on his shirt and slammed back into the ground.

"Why?!"

"Because no mother deserves to have their child stripped from them." Hiei spoke through gritted teeth. "And any man who'd kill his own offspring for power is not a creature that deserves another breath."

Her eyes scoured him and she bent forward until her forehead pressed to his chest, her tears soaking through his shirt and mingling with their combined blood and sweat. Hiei remained still, not sure how to respond to this outburst as she buried her face in his shirt for comfort or to hide. He let his head fall back to the ground and stared up at the sky through the pine trees looming over them. Her sobs jarred his pulse, the pain lacing each cry cutting through him in ways he didn't think possible.

"You don't know. You don't really know." She repeated, choking on the words as they spilled sloppily from her mouth, strangled by her tears.

"Then tell me."

And she fell into a deeper anguish with his demand, lost and piteous. Hiei lay under her, questioning his choice. Should he have opened this floodgate? What purpose was it serving? He'd wanted to tell her he was on her side, that he knew why she was fighting and that he had her back in it. But now it seemed he'd broken her completely. The former cracks he'd witnessed were fully open now.

"You won't want to help me anymore if you understand." She managed the statement, the words coming between ragged, sniffling breaths and sobs that racked over her whole body. "I cannot bear to lose you too."

Hiei sat up, careful of the act so that the woman didn't slide off of him. He reached down and took her chin in one hand, and she fought him, trying to pull away. Trying to avoid him. With the other hand he reached up to his bandana, untying it. With a shaky breath he finally managed to get her to look at him, her face red and swollen from her tears, snot and blood running from her nose, drool and tears rinsing the blood from her lips and mouth.

"It's time you let someone share in the weight of your pain, Shinpi." He told her firmly. "And no one is as capable of that as I am."

She went to retract and then he shook his head, yanking her closer by her chin.

"You have no right to deny me when I ask you for honesty." He told her with narrowed eyes. "Allow me to decide for myself whether or not you are worthy of my attention. Show me your truth, Shinpi."

She choked again, squeezing her eyes closed and with tentative, shaky fingers to pulled his hand from her chin. If this were a different circumstance, a different time or place, he would have been disgusted by her pressing her fluid covered mouth to his palm. But the trembling pressure of her lips to his palm was all the permission he needed and he closed his eyes, allowing her to pull him in.

It was about time he learned the story of Amon-Shinpi from the woman herself.


	37. The History of Amon-Shinpi

**A/N: Y'all. Y'all. This chapter is so fucking long. I knew this was going to happen, but I don't think I was fully prepared. It took forever to get this thing finished. I sincerely hope you like it. I definitely changed some things from TRF. I actually made a timeline and notes and stuff. There was just so much to include.**

 **Anyway, thank you all so much for you reviews. I love you all. I wanted to let you know that next chapter has a drug mention (3/17).**

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It was as if Hiei were being gently pulled and tugged to stand in the perfect position, and then once again a slight shifting to perfect his form. In all the minds he'd invaded, of all the memories he'd seen and erased, Hiei had never been treated with such tentative care. It was almost as if Shinpi wasn't sure where to start so she focused instead on him in her mind. Eventually, he prodded her, a soft murmur to show him.

To show him everything she was willing to let him see.

He wasn't fully prepared.

In her human memories, back when they'd first met and he'd shown no restraint in perusing her history and devouring the details for his own gain, Shinpi had first known noise, loud and abrasive, and the comforting but tattered face of her human mother, Mirna. Her life as a demon started differently. So vastly differently. It was soft and sweet, the gentle warmth of her mother Aiofe's skin against her own as she laid on the woman's chest and stared up into that loving face framed with flaming red hair. Hiei stayed himself against this revelation. It juxtaposed everything he understood about their home world. It also surprised him that her mother had brown eyes, not blue. No, that blue came from her father, who lay beside them and brushed a palm over his infant daughter's head, her twin cradled against his own bare chest as he laid next to his wife, head tipped against Aiofe's. His expression glowed with love. Kotaru resembled the wolf demons they'd seen in the mountains, triangular ears atop his head and a thick black tail curled around his hip.

Hiei wasn't the only who swallowed back a reaction to that expression, one he had never seen directed at himself. He felt Shinpi recoil slightly too.

"My beautiful girls. You're going to change the world."

" _Not how he hoped."_ Shinpi's voice circled the memory. She sounded lost, thoughtful.

A world of faces were etched into her memory, first her sister, then her parents and next came her grandfather and grandmother. An old man with black hair kept long and tied behind his neck with streaks of silver highlighting that darkness, blue eyes that felt too familiar to be in a dead man's face. That twinkling cobalt, watching Shinpi with wry amusement and something more. Perhaps a knowledge that she didn't fully grasp yet. The woman's hair seemed caught between red and brown tied in elaborate, thick braids, some muddled shade that complimented the green stains on her fingertips and the dirt under her nails. She smelled of earth and life. Green eyes crinkled in her face when she smiled and Shinpi felt a complacent sense of adoration for them, reaching for them before words could even declare her intentions.

Not being able to talk frustrated Shinpi. She learned to walk early, determined to get what she wanted if she couldn't get others to do it for her. Kotaru lamented this development, often keeping her in his arms to keep her out of trouble.

But when the old man took her from her father's caring arms, Shinpi reached down toward his side, small fingers clenching and opening in desperate attempts to just reach that sword with its wrapped hilt and red, gleaming scabbard. She wanted it so desperately.

"Mine." She spoke, and it was clear as day, her first word.

Her grandfather laughed, holding her out from him and tossing her up in the air only to catch her easily. She squirmed in his grasp, once again reaching for the weapon.

"Mine!"

"This one is feisty!" Hichirou declared, delighted. "She'll be the best of us, just you watch boy."

"Father, do not encourage her. I have no slept in nearly a year."

Barely old enough to make sense of her desires, Shinpi sat on her father's shoulders overlooking their territory form the safety of the castle's roof, her little fingers playing with her father's ears. A vast land of green, with waterfalls in the distance and a river cutting through its heart from the mountains. Fog wove between the massive trees, some luminescent and others just ancient. He told her of how her grandmother, Aina, had yanked the oasis from the desert by her blood and tears finding life and nourishing it even in the inhospitable situation she'd found herself. Pregnant, tired, a demoness who controlled plants but sat helplessly by as her husband was attacked, Aina had cut open her own palms and shoved them into the hot sand of the Mirage Desert to reach below for something she had no reason to believe existed.

But the oasis buried under the sand answered her call, whether it was meant to exist or not.

The sand shifted and gave way to soil, trees and plants rising and striking down her enemy. Aina crafted this growing piece of paradise for them from her love of her husband and her own strength of will to survive. Of her desire to see her children survive and prosper. And it had only grown steadily sense.

So they called it Sayol, life, a word that Aina brought back with her from her homeland on an island that was as green as the terrain before Shinpi's eyes with shores of jagged rocks. The same island Aiofe hailed from, Kotaru explained. He had left to understand his own heritage and pride and found himself a wife on his journey.

To mark the city at the heart of their lands stood its namesake, a tree called Aishling. The first to sprout from Aina's risen lands and it stood ancient and strong, a testament to the strength of Sayol.

"As long Aishling stands, so shall we." Kotaru told her in a voice that boasted of pride. "And as long as we stand, so shall Aishling. It is important to protect that which protects you."

"Protects." Shinpi studied the massive old tree with its softly luminous and eternal white flowers. "Me protect."

" _We_ darling. _We_ protect Aishling. And Aishling protects us."

But his attempt to clarify was lost on her. The merit of protecting what was hers burrowed into Shinpi's core from that memory onward, a desire to be strong enough to keep the things safe that kept her whole. Hiei _felt_ that resolution take hold in her, no matter the fact she hadn't even crested two years of life.

By the age of three she had thrown herself over her sister when a tree branch snapped and nearly killed the other girl. Shinpi took the brunt of the damage and didn't even cry. Kuya did though. She wept and clung to her sister. That was their dynamic. Sometimes it seemed that Kuya felt Shinpi's pain or her.

"I will protect you." Shinpi declared with all the sincere fire of a misguided child, her arm broken and her ribs battered from the weight of the limb pinning her down. "Always."

Kuya wasn't strong enough to lift the branch and refused to run to get their father, so Shinpi pulled her knees to her chest through great effort, planted her working arm against the ground and grit her teeth. She was able to get onto all fours with that massive weight and then from under it. She wiped her sister's tears away with a smile.

"Shinpi! Sit still!" Her tutor whapped a stick onto the table, earning her slow blinking attention during a lesson at the age of five. "Honestly, why can't you be more proper like Kuya?"

"Why can't you be more interesting like grandfather?" She shot back without even thinking about the words.

It was good to know her smart mouth had always been a piece of her personality, Hiei mused to himself.

"Hichi!" Her twin admonished quietly, gold eyes partially narrowed. "Just take the lesson."

"It's boring." Shinpi complained. "I don't want to learn about etiquette. My speech will not matter if I am attacked."

Ah, so her deference for language had been learned not innate.

The tutor frowned at her and cast a worried look toward the parlor doors. Shinpi turned to spy her father watching them, his expression troubled for the fraction of a second it took him to notice she was looking at him. He plastered a bright smile onto his face and asked them how their schooling was going. His darling daughters. They needed to learn everything there was to ruling the kingdom.

They were going to change the world. They were warriors and peacemakers. Healers and kings. They were the Takani clan of Sayol. The kingdom looked up to them.

"You would be surprised at the strength of words, Amon-Shinpi." Kotaru walked with his daughter through a market in their city. "You can end fights before they begin if you listen, hear and understand. You are not a ruffian on the street. It's your duty to learn to handle trouble with more than your fists."

"And after the fight begins? Do I still stand on a pulpit with my words?" Shinpi was not amused. "Or I do I end the fight how I'm able?"

"If violence is your only answer, I have failed you as a father and you have failed as a leader." Kotaru put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

"What good is having this power if I cannot use it?" Her question seemed to unsettle him.

To temper his daughter's need for control of her energy, of an outlet with which to expel it, Kotaru taught Shinpi the art of healing. Of repairing damage done by another. He took her with him and her mother to aid in the villages around their lands when they accepted refugees from other territories.

Shinpi didn't want to change the world, not her father's way. She learned to heal, using the plants her grandmother grew and her own energy. But she also learned to fight. Aiofe saw to that. Once she showed an active interest, the woman shoved a small staff into her daughter's hands and began to teach her how to use it. After that came the bow and arrow. Shinpi proved herself to be an expert marksmen as early as she was able.

Her father never did stop casting her worried looks when he thought she couldn't see.

But, as in her human life, Shinpi saw everything.

At the age of six, Shinpi beat her father in hand to hand combat for the first time.

"If this were the old days, she'd be my successor now." Hichirou laughed at his son as the man lay prone on the ground, Shinpi's wooden sword pointed at his Adam's apple. Dark ears laid nearly flat against Kotaru's skull, his annoyance with his father clear.

"I don't want to be king. I just want to keep everyone safe." Shinpi pulled back, shooting a look to her grandfather. "I want to be a knight!"

"Is that so?" Hichirou patted her head. "Well, I think you'll make a fine knight my girl."

It took her two more years to overcome her mother, but she did so with a staff, her mother's primary close range weapon. Her grandfather alone stood at the end of their sparring sessions, the only member of the family able to cull her hunger for victory. She took her lessons, she learned the skills of royalty, but she never stopped her own pursuits. She never stopped questioning why they did things the way they did. Her skills at debate bothered her father as much as they amused the old man.

It seemed they'd created a monster by forcing Shinpi to learn the power of wielding words, bending them to her will.

Hichirou alone showed her new stances. He taught her how to raise a sword. How to stand strong. "Yes, child, channel Aishling, plant your roots. You will not be moved." When no one else would answer her questions, she went to her grandfather. Her love for that old man was riddled with awe. He could do no wrong.

There was insistence that she and her sister learn to cooperate with the local children. They were meant to play and develop relationships and learn the ways of the common people. But this only deepened Shinpi's troubled understanding of the world. So many of the children were taken in from the outside world, where there were wars and famine and cruelty abound. They were miserable, anxious, aggressive creatures who thought they must be fight or be killed.

No matter the speeches or placations, Shinpi could not bring them to rest at first.

"A king is nothing without his people." Her father told her while she sat on his knee after she demanded to know what point there was in playing with the other children when playing seemed futile in the face of what those children had already endured. "So, a king should be one of his people. It's our job to love them, Amon-Shinpi, because it our job to protect them."

"We are to protect them?" She asked him, her voice small. How was she meant to protect these poor beings from what had already happened? What could she do for them?

"Yes, Amon-Shinpi. We must protect our people. That is our duty before all else. That is why they come to us." Kotaru brushed her hair behind her ear. "And sometimes, part of protecting someone is to make them smile. That is why you play. To help them forget. To give them hope that there is more than pain in the world."

"I need to get stronger." She looked at her hands and curled her fingers to her palms, a million thoughts buzzing in her head. A million plans. In her mind, this meant more than physical prowess, it meant understanding. She needed to deepen her connection to her people, to their misfortune, to the world at large.

Shinpi, even at this young age, valued knowledge with as much esteem as she valued pure physical strength.

But when she looked up into her father's face he looked like she'd just threatened to murder him.

Hiei noted that woven between all these memories were things he'd already come to recognize as Shinpi. Her wolf demon pride, which was boasted of plenty to the other children. Taunts of "I'm in charge because _I'm the alpha."_ Her devotion to her sister, shown in her many fights for the other girl's honor. In the bruises born of defending Kuya. They spent a lot of time brushing each other's hair and weaving it into braids as it grew. Her unsettling love for her family. It all rang throughout her story as she allowed Hiei to see it.

Shinpi worked the gardens with her grandmother, digging through the earth with her fingers and hands until the scent of it saturated her senses. Planting new seeds, prying out weeds, clipping herbs and leaves for medicines and teas that could be freely shared with the people.

Shinpi stopped her work, stared at the ruined earth she'd created and then at her hands.

"Sometimes you must destroy something to create something new." Aina told her granddaughter in a soft voice that made the girl look over to her. "But, even the softest rains can bring a sprout to the surface."

Shinpi went back to digging, her eleven-year-old mind a torrent of thought. "Trees would buckle under their own weight if it weren't for the strength of the winds forcing them to gather themselves."

"And which are you, Amon-Shinpi? The tree or the wind?" Aina asked, stopping the girl's hands and covering them with her own. Shinpi did not look into her eyes again.

At age eight, Amon-Shinpi worried she would never be strong enough to protect those she loved. Her elemental powers were alluding her. Was it because she was the first female born to the family? Would she never call the wind as her own? She practiced in her room while Kuya slept in their shared bed, going through the motions of their parents until they came as naturally as brushing her hair out of her face. By age twelve she had dredged up two elements, the wind that was passed through her blood and water through sheer stubborn determination. She ran the perimeter of their city, only one of so many in their lands. She climbed their trees and stared up in to their blue sky, then out into the distance to try and see if she could glimpse any of the other territories in the distance.

She memorized the layout of the land by the soles of her feet, learned the names of the chiefs in the other cities and villages. She could offer the names of the cities in her sleep if prompted.

Kuya had tried once and woke her up laughing when she answered.

There was a moment in her grandfather's study that she questioned him, taking his books in exchange of ones she'd finished reading. A vast collection of printed and handwritten tomes. Many of them crafted by his own hand to detail the lands and histories he had encountered during his travels. She declared then that her sister was her soulmate, and as Hiei saw this he felt Shinpi laugh at herself. She was amused by the idea that a being had only one soulmate in the eons of existence. It was just such a juvenile notion.

 _A soul is too complex to limit itself to being understood by only one other being in all of time._

Shinpi never stopped asking questions. She met with their citizens and asked for their stories. She learned more about the world from them than from her father and it fueled her desire for strength.

She had to get stronger.

She had to protect her people.

"I don't want to be a princess." She told her sister when she couldn't sleep one night, instead pacing their room with her hands behind her back. "Being a princess means nothing in the scheme of the world. No offense. I want to be strong. I want to _defend_. We are supposed to be healers and kings. Peacemakers and warriors, but where are the warriors?"

"Will you never be satisfied?" Kuya demanded, glaring at her. "You've already beaten mother and father."

"It's not enough."

"And when will it be?"

Shinpi stared at her sister and tried to fathom what inane lack of understanding had made her utter such a question.

"When the world knows that it cannot defeat me."

Kotaru went through great pains to school the desire to fight out of his eldest daughter. Twins though they were, Kuya and Shinpi were so dissimilar. Kuya had no hunger for battle. She lacked the will to cause harm. He tried desperately to force Shinpi into that mold, to teach her to respond first with her words and only her fists if necessary. Diplomacy, he said, was a far better weapon than a sword.

She continued to practice her swordsmanship with her grandfather anyway.

But she also appeased her father. She worked to learn to dissuade first and attack second. It wasn't natural to her, as she had relayed to Hiei when it came to Matsuma. But it was an undeniable skill and she eventually saw its merit. It became ingrained in her.

Aina had never been strong, like Kuya after her. She fell ill frequently, but she always recovered. When she became too sick to leave bed the family fretted.

Hichirou stopped eating, growing distant.

Shinpi knew the minute her grandmother died of illness from the way she awoke when she fourteen. Her first true taste of grief was riotous and angry. It was hot and furious and it left a wake of destruction that half a decade could not fix. Her grandfather was a powerful demon. She had always known this, but it had never occurred to her how powerful until she had to face him as an enemy.

It was deafening. The sounds of bells and screams, both raised in alarm. The scent of fire revolted against that of soil and greenery. Shinpi leapt from bed with her eyes wild and wide, her hair an untamed mess of fire haloing her when she glimpsed the mirror before shoving herself into her trousers and tunic. Kuya cried out, reaching for her.

"Stay here." It was a cool demand, the first use of that voice that belied power.

Shinpi ran out of the stone confines of the castle to be greeted with utter chaos and destruction. Her mother shouted at her to get back in, bow in hand as her fiery hair billowed around her in the hot blasts of wind coming off the creature dwarfing them, standing as tall as the trees. Aiofe knocked another arrow and sent it sailing into the giant form of a wolf daunting them. Kotaru lay on the ground at his wife's feet, one of his arms missing from just above the elbow, the stub bleeding profusely. He bared his teeth, his green energy attempting to stopper the bleeding for himself.

"Get away, Amon-Shinpi!" He yelled. "Go! He's too strong!"

She ignored him and spotted the red hilted sword he'd dropped. Her feet carried her on instinct. Her mother screamed, horrified and heartbroken as Shinpi rushed by and scooped the blade from the ground.

Shinpi did not heed that cry, she couldn't. Her people needed her.

If she wanted to be a protector, a knight, she could not bow away from danger no matter how great.

From such a young age she'd resonated with the desire to protect others. To defend. And now that all came to the forefront as she stood her ground against the only wolf in the pack stronger than herself. Aina was gone. Her father was injured. Her mother was beside herself. Even the thick stone castle walls would not keep Kuya safe if Hichirou decided to turn his rampage in that direction. Shinpi alone stood as the sole alpha, ready to face down this threat.

For the sake of Aishling.

For Sayol.

For her family.

"Grandfather!" She yelled, throwing her arms wide, sword fastened to her side. "Please, you have to let this anger go! I know you loved grandmother. I know you mourn! But this…this is not our way!"

The beast bowed its head toward her, inhaling. She did not flinch from the heat of the blue flames surrounding its muzzle. She did not look away from those large, lost cobalt eyes the size of her entire head.

"We are Takanis." She told him quietly. "We are protectors. We are _healers_. Please, grandfather. Do not make me protect them from _you_."

For a moment she thought it worked.

But the wolf howled, her father and mother screamed and she was forced to run with the beast on her heels. For the first time in her life, Shinpi was thrust into a situation of true survival. The harrowing tales of the refugees had not prepared her for the rush of adrenaline thudding through her as she went against an opponent that dwarfed her physically and with their energy. Her parents' fear made sense to her. To them, surely she'd die and they would lose more family than they should on this already mournful day. But Shinpi had spent her life mapping the layout of their village with her feet. She could run through the trees blind and never trip.

Aishling protected her, guided her.

She could not fail.

Her grandfather barreled after her and she raised the sword in her father's style and spun, slashing a great cut of wind that took the massive beast in the joint of its left ankle. It barely slowed, but it was enough for her to kick off a luminescent pine tree and send herself scrambling up another. When the wolf knocked that tree down, she jumped to the next, looking behind them. They had left the city and though she could still see some embers from the fires of her grandfather's wrath, it seemed the damage had been minimal.

That was all she needed to know.

Her fingers tightened around the top of the ancient pine she stood in, her eyes closing for just a moment. The wind circled around her and she offered a quiet thank you to the forest for its sacrifice. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the wolf staring at her, waiting, watching. It happened as if in slow motion. Under her call the water from the surrounding trees fed into the air, the night sky growing dark and starless for the clouds forming.

Amon-Shinpi slid one foot back on the branch she balanced on so precariously, bending her front knee and narrowing her eyes. The forest within a quarter acre of her bled dry, massive rivers of water slowly spiraling around her, trapped in the air where they did not belong. Beyond her grandfather, Aishling bloomed, a soft white glow lighting the consuming darkness.

"I love you." She told the enraged, flaming monstrosity before her. "But it is my duty to be what no one else is willing to be. Let go of your anger, grandfather."

The wolf lunged.

Shinpi thrust the sword forward through the empty air and the water took the shape of a blade. It took the beast through the mouth and tore it open as the rain began to fall. The fire died, the wind howled, and the blue flames seemed to dive into the sword she held so deliberately. Shinpi wavered, her stance faltering as her knees threatened to buckle. When she went to correct herself, her exhaustion caught up with her and made use of the rain to glance her back foot off the narrow hold. Her hair enshrouded her as she fell, her eyes closing slowly before she hit the ground.

There was no pride. No satisfaction in defeating her grandfather as there had been when she'd won against her parents. Only the bitter aftertaste of causing his death.

Part of her hoped that she'd die too.

She fluttered her eyes open before anyone found her. The bells still rang in the distance, a testament that Aishling still stood proud, and the sky still sobbed above her, thunder rolling. The dried trees collapsed from the intense winds of the storm she'd created and lost control of. Rolling to her side she spied the sword. It glowed, faintly, and when she brushed her fingers over the blade it felt warm.

She lifted the sword and used it to cut through her hair, strands of wet crimson falling to the brittle forest floor. It had been centuries, at least, since a Takani had had to cut their hair. Everyone in her family wore it long, a symbol of peace in their lands. All the chiefs too, adopted this practice. And at fourteen years old, she alone ruined that tradition. She could not allow herself to carry a symbol of peace on her crown when she'd so actively participated in destroying a life.

Her guilt overwhelmed her as the sword fell into the pile of hair, shaky, wet fingers brushing over the back of her bare neck. She had failed. She hadn't been able to convince Hichirou to return to his senses. She'd resorted to such a grave act of violence.

She was no healer. No protector or king. And Sayol had no need for blood thirsty warriors.

"Forgive me." Shinpi bowed her head and stared at her hands, wondering how they weren't red. Her guilt ate her raw but she didn't have time to dwell. In the distance, over the bells and through the wind, she heard her mother's desperate voice screaming for her, growing closer.

And so she ran. She left the blade, her hair, and home taking only her shame with her.

The shame around this memory was still intense and Hiei wasn't sure why. Shinpi had done what she had to do to protect her people. He didn't understand her revulsion.

She didn't stop running for a long time. Sure, eventually she came to one destination, then another. She spent time in Tourin training with Hokushin then traversed the wastelands and backends of Makai. She spent years honing her craft, learning new skills. She worked to improve her healing and her fighting alike. She kept her hair short as a reminder of her sins. But she never stopping running, not really. Not for years, at least. Slowly, she grew from being a frightened, sheltered wolf demoness to something fierce and deadly. Always in search of better techniques, more strength. It was during this time she picked up the habit of wearing a metal mask over the lower half of her face during battle.

One unfortunate run in with poison was enough to convince her. She got the mask because it contained filters, but coupled with her cropped hair and her masculine clothing it doubled as a disguise. Many thought she was a man, something she didn't bother correcting. The less who knew who she was, the less she had to worry about further disparaging her family's name.

Her guilt eased.

It took time but eventually she came to terms with the fact she'd done what was necessary. Hichirou's grief was too immense, his power too great. He would not blame her for defending their lands. It was with this relief that she allowed herself to grow her hair once more. Her war with herself was over.

It was in bed with a lover one night when she was nearly nineteen that the idea to stop running was given to her. The woman curled against her, running her fingers through tangled, sweat slicked strands of red and spoke against Shinpi's neck where she tucked her face.

"Do you ever miss them? Your family, I mean."

Shinpi didn't answer, looking up at the ceiling as she lay on her back in this derelict shack. Her eyes counted the holes between the shingles. One arm around the woman, she closed her eyes.

"All the time."

Hiei tried not to pay much attention to the intimacy of the scene from Shinpi's view. She'd known the woman at her side for a year, they'd been lovers for half that time. She wasn't the first, but she was the longest to date. Shinpi felt at ease when the woman caressed her skin, or played with her hair, or whispered her name.

Hiei wondered what response he'd draw from her if he ran his fingers idly through her mane of black, if his traced over her skin with his fingertips. He didn't want her to feel comfortable under his touch. He wanted something more.

"Do you ever think about going back?"

Shinpi left the next day. She only said goodbye because the woman had caught her with her rucksack over her shoulder in the early morning light.

Shortly after, Shinpi witnessed a demon child being killed by the warlord's men she eventually ended with Hayato's aid. Her sudden need to destroy it all stemmed solely from that single act of injustice. But that only earned the raven's respect more so when she explained it to him after, while they trekked to his mountain home.

They spent some time there, amongst the other raven's and Shinpi learned that he came from a long line of blacksmiths. Their craft was phenomenal in quality. Her praise rung hollow to most of the other ravens, but Hayato reveled in it. He couldn't seem to stop himself from showing her his work, his greatest pieces, and shoved several of them into her hands as gifts for saving him. Tokens of his appreciation, he said. He was glad to they went to someone who understood them.

Shinpi tried her best to deny him, but Hayato never really seemed to heed her when it came to that.

"So you don't have to choose between your sword and your bow." Hayato explained as he slid metal bracers over her forearms with her willing compliance. "You're too good with both to have to go without one or the other."

She made to leave the mountain alone and found Hayato tagging along.

"You don't have to come."

"I have a feeling your side is where I need to be."

"My side is a dangerous place, little bird."

"Are you denying me, little wolf?"

"Don't call me little."

That was the end of it. From that point on the man was with her through thick and thin. He crossed the desert and followed her to the gates of her family's castle. And she was happy to have him around. Hayato was easy company. He liked to ask her questions. He wanted to learn more about her world, about her. He debated with her.

She couldn't remember the last time someone had given her the time to bother debating.

It was nice.

"There's a chance they'll kill me, you know." She warned him outside the castle gates, staring at them as if regarding an enemy. "I am a fugitive. I killed the former king."

"Then we'll die together."

She didn't make it three steps before she was tackled to the ground by a blur of red and blue. Her shocked cry was drowned out in the fervent sobs of Kuya, who clung to her like a child. The princess buried her face in her sister's neck and laid on top of her, weeping and attempting to speak only for it to come out mangled vowel sounds.

"For the sake of the gods Kuya, get off me."

"You're home!"

"Amon-Shinpi." Kuya slid off her sister and sat on the ground, wiping at her face to clear it of tears. Amon Shinpi slowly rose to her feet, bowing her head to her father, then her mother.

Then, she knelt on the ground with one knee, eyes cast down, the back of her neck exposed from the way she'd tied her hair up and out of the way. She pinched her eyes closed and spoke as steadily as she could. "I cannot bring him back, father, I am sorry. I acted in the way I thought best. But I ran, like a child, from my punishment. I am running no more. Do what you must."

Her confusion when he laughed made her raise her gaze to his.

"It's good to see you learned some humility during your time away." Kotaru extended his one hand to her, smiling brightly. "I'm glad to have you home, my darling daughter."

"And who is this? Your husband?" Aiofe eyed Hayato. "He's tall but he doesn't seem all that strong."

"Mother!" Shinpi blushed. "Hayato is my companion, nothing more!"

"Shame."

"Mother!"

It was startling, how easily they accepted her back. She didn't trust it at first. The first few nights, she didn't sleep. Not that she ever slept much anyway. Then, slowly, she settled back into her family. Hayato slipped in seamlessly, soon creating his own workshop. Several years went by with little to nothing of consequence happening. Her love for her sister grew stronger. They became even closer than they were as children, and Shinpi simply couldn't deny any of Kuya's demands.

How could she even try, when Kuya clung to her so readily at every chance those first weeks? Whenever Shinpi made her way toward the gates to visit the village or patrol the grounds, Kuya followed, fear barely hidden in her expression. She'd hold Shinpi's hand and walk with her as she were afraid her sister would once again run and not return.

Shinpi began to raise the demon wolves local to their region. She met with chiefs with her father and then charmed their sons and daughters alike. Often, she'd openly flirt with the women, offering them her best grin.

"Would you like to see my sword, maiden?"

The fact it worked never failed to amuse her. Her father admonished her on several occasions about her amorous nature, but it never stopped her for long. Even the men in the area seemed powerless to her advances. Most of it was simply for sport. Sometimes it was to feel someone's warmth besides her own.

It was a great comfort to Hiei that she never once even considered pulling Hayato into her bed in that way.

Though he wasn't too keen to know that they slept together plenty. Hayato folded into their clan as a member of the family, treated as one of their own.

It was nearly a hundred years later that a band of human travelers happened upon them. A hundred of peace. Of arguing with Hayato over the weight of arrows and armor, of dancing with Kuya at the festival. Kotaru was a kind king, and the people adored him.

Shinpi delighted in having the humans around. She liked to speak to them about their world. Everything they told she wrote in her never ending journals. She drew pictures of their descriptions, altering them with care to be as perfect as the humans could confirm.

"I love him." Kuya told her, hands folded together as she sat on her bed. The sadness in her voice couldn't be denied. "What do I do, Hichi?"

"You love him." Shinpi told her softy, turning her sister's face up by the chin so she could look into those golden eyes. "There's nothing left for you to do."

Her father railed against the idea of his gentle hearted daughter marrying a human man. He refused. The humans could not stay in their world forever and that meant Kuya would have to leave. Shinpi hated the idea of it, being without her sister. Five years was bad enough, but the rest of their lives? It hadn't occurred to her.

"But father!" Kuya wailed, heartbroken.

"Enough." Shinpi came to stand between them, Kotaru and Kuya. She widened her stance slightly, tucked her chin and put her hand on the hilt of her sword. "If you wish to stop her, you'll have to go through me father."

It was the open defiance that brought silence into the hall. Aiofe glanced at her husband with worry. Kuya stifled her cries in her lover's shoulder. Hayato came to stand at Shinpi's side, a towering wall of support. And Kotaru merely stared at his daughter, willing her to change her mind.

"You would have her leave?" Kotaru asked Shinpi quietly.

"I would have her happy." Shinpi responded coolly. "Even if that means I am not."

They were wed the next festival and left after the week was done. Shinpi never got to see her sister again, too strong to go through the barrier. But Kuya sent word when she gave birth to her daughter, Chiyo, four years later. They were able to use couriers to send letters, weak imps loyal to the family.

Shinpi saved all those letters and reread them as if it could replace her sister's presence.

Sixteen years after Kuya left with her husband, Shinpi collapsed in a field where she'd been practicing. A pain in her chest so intense she felt she'd been stabbed. She could not breathe, could not move. Tears poured from her eyes and she did not need the courier to tell her what she already knew.

Her sister had died.

Kuya was gone. An illness her body could not shake. It seemed she took after Aina in that way. Shinpi didn't react as she received the news but the way her sister died mattered little. A hole had been ripped into her soul that she felt she'd never fill.

Maybe that was why the news of an impending war settled so easily on Shinpi's heart. She needed something to draw warmth back into herself. Looking in the mirror made her wince, because her plaited red hair reminded her of the other half of herself she'd never see again. There were no mirrors on the battlefield, she was certain. There was only the rush of the fight, the pain of battle.

That pain was familiar, tolerable. Better than this heartbreak.

Mukuro remained a menacing phantom from a distant land to Shinpi. She had never seen the other king, had never been to Alaric. Her father would not allow it. He had met with the king once or twice through the years. He painted the picture of an immensely powerful being with nearly unending resources. Armies terrifyingly vast. The stories scattered through Makai seconded this image.

Shinpi did not care.

"No."

Kotaru refused Shinpi's demand to prepare their people for battle. She wanted to cut her hair and raise her sword.

"We will find another way. I will not lose another daughter." Kotaru told her. "You are my only heir, Amon-Shinpi, you cannot pretend your life has no weight."

Hiei was apt to agree, for entirely different reasons. This emptiness ringing in Shinpi felt too familiar to him, too similar to what he'd seen in her when they first met.

"Then I abdicate." Shinpi rose from her kneel and knew she must've looked as cold as she felt. "Find your resolution, father. See how well a beast like Mukuro heeds your words. I have faced enough of them to know when violence _is_ the only option."

"You cannot do this!" Aiofe shot to her feet.

"I will be fighting for my people. Our people." Shinpi turned her back on her parents, Hayato waiting by the door with a look of uncertainty trained on her. "And none of you are strong enough to stop me. When that army dots the horizon, I will be waiting for them."

She went to Aishling and pressed her head and palms against the rough bark of the tree. What she'd just done was unthinkable but it was the only way. A hand cupped her shoulder before arms slid around her middle, dark wings encasing her and blocking out the light of the sun.

"I cannot ask you to join me." She warned him, nails biting into the spaces between the pieces of bark.

"You do not need to ask. I am with you." Hayato answered her easily. "We will fight together and we will come home together."

"What if I do not come home?" She asked quietly, opening her eyes.

"Then neither will I."

Kotaru had to relent. It was either watch his daughter die alone, without support, or put his power behind her. He called the chiefs and explained their situation.

"You ask us to risk our lives, our people?" They argued. "For what? To face some mad king?"

"To defend Sayol." Kotaru responded coolly.

"We have never fought a war. We have no army." The discussion continued bitterly and without resolution. The other leaders did not want to risk their lives in battle.

Shinpi was sent from the room when she called them all cowards.

She went to the villages herself, unable to be denied for her station, and stood in their centers preaching her case.

"I am the sword of Sayol, the shield. I will defend this land, your land, with my life." Shinpi drew crowds with her speeches. "War will not wait for us to be ready. It is coming. Our responsibility is to meet it head on. We are the people of Sayol, protected by Aishling. Let us show the world what that means. Let us make an example of this haughty king! If you want to live with the pride of victory in your heart, follow me."

Shinpi gathered herself a small force of villagers. Not nearly enough to stand a chance, but she bolstered them with Hayato's weapons and her training. She made warriors out of merchants and farmers. Her wolves, massive beasts that they were, joined the ranks. Knowing they would be outclassed, outnumbered and out-practiced she still refused to relent in her stance that victory would ultimately be theirs. That's when she saw him for the first time.

Hiro.

During training, draping himself with a thick leather tunic. White-blond hair catching the sunlight, shocking against his dark skin and gold eyes. Shinpi thought she had seen the true of beauty for the first time and it stole her breath away. And when he smiled?

She almost refused to allow him to fight.

She pushed him into another battalion meant to protect the north side of their lands because she knew for a fact she could not see him in action or she'd die.

Hiei swallowed his disgust, determined not to insert his opinion lest Shinpi rethink allowing him this.

Within months Mukuro's first wave was on them. Shinpi met their commander in the fields bordering the desert on the outskirts of her lands. Her soldiers beat their shields as drums, the rhythm foreboding and metallic, sharp. The sound came to a sudden halt when Shinpi lifted her hand.

"You stand no chance of winning. Forfeit your territory and you may be spared." The commander demanded. "If you choose to fight, you will be destroyed."

"You'll need more men then." Shinpi assured him. "We are the people of Sayol and we do not bow to the whims of outsiders."

" _I thought I was a hero, but I was just a child. A foolish, arrogant child."_ Shinpi's voice whispered around the memory of the men dying. _"We were nearly wiped out. I wasn't ready. I wasn't prepared. I had to do something to cut the losses. I had to bring something like victory back with me or I'd have failed all those who had died."_

"Steady on your feet men. We must fight for Sayol!" Amon-Shinpi lifted her sword, her bracers and the blade glinting even in the overcast light. She waited on the edge of the battlefield, her eyes prying over every form that came toward them. There was nothing she did not see.

She refused to go down without claiming victory. Refused to allow her men to die without the honor of knowing they had contributed to their territory's pride. Never again would she be a part of massacre like her first battle. Her new scar itched and she ignored it. It was good that it burned. It meant that her entire being remembered that bitter taste of failure. Every fiber and cell in her body burned against another dose.

"Let us show them what a few mongrels with bad manners can accomplish." She turned over her shoulder to her meager battalion, lighting a fire in her men with a mere look. "Bare your teeth and aim for the throat. It is time we reminded the rest of the world what we are."

She kept her voice low, crouching in the thicket with the rest of them.

And then, they attacked.

It was a brutal fight. Plenty were injured on her side, but she didn't lose another man. Whenever the enemy got too close, she appeared from the mist of her own creation and struck them down. She wasted countless hours healing the fallen once the battles were done, choosing that over sleep on several occasions. Through the following years of skirmishes and battles, it was this way. Even as her hair grew back she ran into the arms of the enemy and delivered onto them every disaster she could manage.

With Hayato's ability to communicate with the corvids they had a million small spies. Through them she could see for miles around her, could plan attacks well before the enemy fell on them. With her knowledge of the land, she could situate her camps in the ideal locations to prevent ambush. Every move she made was deliberate, precise.

Two years into the war, Shinpi received word that her mother had given birth to a prince. A healthy baby boy. A hopeful omen in the thick of all this disaster. Shinpi swore she'd get to meet her baby brother in person soon. He was born into war, but she would gift him with peace.

And by the time it was done, she held victory in her hand.

Mukuro's withdrawal left nothing in its wake but relief and pride. The main city celebrated for a week. Shinpi met her brother, Kin-Jiro and found him to the most precious thing she'd ever seen. That piece of herself that had been ripped open with Kuya's death felt less hollow. The territory itself seemed to shake off the miasmas of death and ruin it had been anxiously predicting. There was peace once more.

Until there wasn't.

It wasn't even a battle. It was over too quickly to be deemed as such. One minute they were celebrating the end of the war, the fact they had managed to drive Mukuro back and the next…

The next it was chaos.

Hiro came to speak with her for the first time since she'd trained him, drawing her to the side with a wicked smile. "Do I still need to call you sir?"

"Only if you hope to please me." Shinpi smirked at him, head tilted back to look in his eyes.

"That is something I very much so hope to do." He raked his eyes over her in the most indecent way and bowed his head to kiss her, her breath catching in her lungs behind the weight of her want.

And then the screams started. It was over as it began. She was too late.

Amon-Shinpi stared at her fallen mother and father, at the wolf demons who had torn into them. Refugees welcomed to their city with open arms. A foolish notion. Her father's notion. She slaughtered them all save for one woman, who she sent screaming into the desert with a simple message.

"Tell your lousy king that he can only restore his honor by dying at my hand."

For the sake of the whimpering child in her arms, Shinpi did not cry during the funeral. She was all that Kin had now. His pillar, his sword, his shield, his family. When the chiefs handed her the crown, she accepted it. It was her duty, after all. Her obligation. Her hands held the infant a little tighter to her chest when she took the throne, alone, in the dark. She shook as she tried to control her grief, her fury.

Her storm lasted for three days, the heavens weeping because she could not.

She had to be strong. Strong for her people. Strong for her land. Strong for her brother, Kin-Jiro. Barely a year old and born in the thick of war, it seemed he'd know nothing but tragedy and chaos. But Shinpi had to fix that. She had to give him a life worth living, and if that meant prying peace out of Mukuro's dead hands then so be it.

Her fight with Mukuro ended with her in possession of the king's arm and a strange, unexpected friendship blooming. Shinpi presented the other king with her traitorous men in pieces in a cart and Mukuro offered her the fight she'd requested. Shinpi entered the fight knowing she might die, but believing she could get the upper hand.

Raizen had told her stories of Mukuro. She had a little to go on. In an all-out fight she'd never win. It would be hopeless to try. But this wouldn't be all-out fight. All she had to do was provoke Mukuro's intrigue enough to make her life outweigh her death. So she did. She wove her unnecessary plots and schemes, made herself seem cleverer than she was and kept the other king on her toes.

Truly the only reason she survived at all was because Mukuro found her more humorous than threatening.

"And what is that squalling creature?" Mukuro gestured with her one good arm toward Kin Jiro, who cried and screamed in a nurse maid's embrace.

"The prince." Shinpi responded coldly. "Lay a finger on him and I'll rip your other arm off too."

"Do you think you could?"

"I think you shouldn't tempt me."

Stabilizing her lands and the peace with other territories was not an easy task. Hayato stood by her side through it all. The official Right Hand of the king, a position of protection and aid. In the background, Hiro worked his way through the ranks Shinpi had established. He made it his mission to become Kin's personal guard. He longed for prestige, power.

And his hunger to protect the boy only fed Shinpi's attraction to him. She had no reason to second guess his motives. He went from an officer of Aishling, aiding in the security of the village to a guard in the castle. That was when they began their affair, a secret at first. A tryst meant to relieve tension and nothing more. But what was meant to be a singular event turned into a second, then a third. Hiro continued to climb the ladder over the years and it became harder to keep their relationship a secret.

Creating officers for the villages and a small reserve of warriors were only some of the changes Shinpi enacted. She crafted a counsel out of the chiefs, requiring updates on all the villages from the people. She established more schools so that all the children could learn the way she had. Peace reigned and she was determined to make Sayol a center of knowledge. Trade increased because she met with other territories more than her father.

All this while raising her brother. She did her best, at first, to keep some separation between herself and the child. She told him stories of their parents, of their grandparents, of Kuya. She dug through the histories her grandfather had written out to find more and more to tell him.

That's where she came across his namesake, Jiro. A man she had never heard of before. A secret, buried deep by her father and grandfather. Jiro was the second son of Hichirou and Aina, a child of immense power and skill. One who held a hunger for being more than a pacifist prince. Reading about him, Shinpi felt more than a little connected to this lost spirit. He left the lands before her father had, determined to find more. He never returned.

Her father's fear for Kuya made more sense suddenly and another wave of relentless guilt ate at Shinpi. Perhaps she should have tried to talk sense into her sister. Maybe then…

But it was too late to take it all back.

Kin was only three the first time he called her mother. Her heart had broken and mended all at once and it took everything in her not to cry.

"Darling, I'm your sister not your mother."

"Momma." He planted his feet and stared at her with a familiar stubbornness that could not be denied shining his cobalt eyes. "You're my momma."

It took three years for her to stop fighting him on it. When Kin was six he explained that he _knew_ that she wasn't _technically_ his mother, but she was the only one he knew.

"I just love you a lot, okay?" He rolled his eyes and went back to planting his seeds in the garden.

"I love you too." She smiled, and told him about a time when she worked the garden with Aina.

Kin grew quickly. It felt like no time had passed. One minute she was holding him, rocking him to sleep and the next he was up to her ribs with a smile that reminded her of their father. He was softer natured than she was, ready to listen whenever someone had a problem. He liked to heal. He learned to fight to appease her, but he wasn't all that interested in it.

"He's growing like a weed." Hiro wrapped his arms around her from behind. "He'll be a man soon."

"Stop that. I can't stand to think of it." Shinpi pouted, tilting her head up to his mouth for a quick kiss. "I can't imagine him as anything but my little boy. Sometimes I wish I could stop time and keep him from growing up. I just want a few more years. It won't be long and he won't want anything to do with me."

"Well, you'll still have me." Hiro grinned and kissed her again, hands tightening on her hips. "In fact, I think you should have me right now."

Shinpi grinned. "Might be embarrassing for Kin."

They laughed together when the boy told them to stop being gross. Even Hayato shook his head at them. It hadn't been a secret that they were together for a few years.

When Kin was ten years old, Shinpi and Hiro got married. Their hands bound by strips of fabric, a symbol of their fates tying together, they kissed. The festival that year felt especially surreal and bright. The people all celebrated with more than the usual vigor but Shinpi hardly noticed. All she could see was Hiro.

Hiro, who protected her brother fiercely. Hiro, who added lightning to her storms. Hiro who stood at her side when trouble rose and helped her fight.

"I don't understand why you don't want children." Hiro threw his hands up in the air, pacing their chamber as they rehashed this same argument for the fiftieth time.

"I do. But not until Kin is older." Shinpi repeated herself. "I've told you, I want him to have the throne if that's his wish. If we have children it'll just confuse the whole thing."

She had never made Hiro king. That was a title she held for herself, not because she didn't want to share it but because it was Kin's birthright in her mind. Hiro became a prince, her prince.

"You love that boy more than you do me." Hiro accused and Shinpi stared at him.

"He's my son, I love him more than I love myself."

It wasn't long after that argument that Shinpi was summoned to meet Mukuro and was greeted with her friend's frustration. Called a fool.

Her return home was nightmarish. She had not believed Mukuro. She had known Hiro for too long, he would never betray her. They were married.

So why then was her brother hanging from chains, darkness in his chest where his heart, his core, should have been? Why was Hayato bleeding, unconscious on the ground barely breathing? Why were Hiro's hands stained red.

"Darling, you're home early." He turned to her with a smile.

It was impossible to describe the feeling that seized her. Hot and cold, emptiness swirling and yet static. It was as if she ceased to exist and yet was cemented into this moment forever.

"If only you'd given me that power willingly." Hiro told her. "Kin was never going to be king and we both knew it. But, at least now you'll always get to remember as your little boy."

Her mind would not allow her to see the whole image at first. When she looked at Kin, something in her broke. A floodgate of power and fury she hadn't realized she had been slowly cultivating over the course of her life. It consumed her.

She remembered Hiro speaking before she attacked, but little else. Her usually sharp memory fragmented, gaps forming between days and years from that point forward.

Grey. Not the grey of storm laden clouds she'd known her whole life but a new shade. Almost white, but not quite. A color that spoke of vast plains of emptiness, of the absence of warmth. A fitting color to greet her when she opened her eyes without any recollection of how she got where she was. Shinpi merely stared up at that expanse of unforgiving grey, locked inside herself. A stillness held her in place, the entire world seemed to be trapped in this one second.

How many eons had she stared up at that empty vastness that reflected everything left in herself?

Sound roused her. Wind howling through ice coated trees that clashed together, clacking and groaning and crashing like stone slammed against stone. The massive pines that greeted her when she turned her head should have spoke of life, of warmth.

The snow on their needles hushed any such messages.

Shinpi shifted, after another endless amount of time, and sat up. Crimson coated her hand, her chest, the snowbank she'd been partially buried in. When had the snow begun? How long had she been here?

Was this hell?

"Oh!" The soft cry drug Shinpi's attention around to her other side.

A child greeted her with large eyes the color of her blood on the snow. Hair that clashed against the white backdrop with its cheery seafoam hue. Young.

Younger than Kin.

Shinpi doubled over at the sudden pain in her chest, grimacing against it. Her wound wasn't healing. But she could care less about that. Let her bleed out.

Kin.

Her mind accosted her with pieces of memory, fragments of things she couldn't bear to fully process. Blood. Chains. Ashen skin.

Darkness consumed her again and she hoped it was for the last time.

She awoke on a cot too large for her body, in a cabin with a roof too tall. She was certain the fire roaring was meant to bring heat to her skin. It did not. Once again, she lay sedate and stared at her surroundings without the will to move. Shameful.

She was supposed to be a fighter. She was going to die in disgrace at this rate.

"You're awake." A woman entered the cabin, ducking through the doorway for her towering height. Hiei recognized her immediately as Riu. She brought with her Yukina, who stared at their ward with wide eyes. "I'll get your tea ready."

Shinpi watched the woman, then turned to study the child. "You're the one who found me."

"I got Riu so she could help you!" Yukina declared, leaving the taller woman's side to approach Shinpi cautiously. "You were crying but your tears didn't turn to stone. I'm Yukina. What's your name?"

"Yukina!" Riu admonished, worry creasing her forehead.

"Amon-Shinpi." Shinpi bowed her head to the little girl. "Do your tears turn to stone?"

"Yes! All the koorime's tears are stones." She smiled and it eased something in Shinpi before the pain doubled. Riu pressed a hot cup of tea into her hand.

"Drink. It'll help."

It did. It numbed that aching pain in her soul. Shinpi rested with them a few days, learning about where she was. A floating island would have endlessly interested her before, but now it seemed only mildly important. Over the course of her stay she told Yukina stories of the other places she had been that were very different from this small, snowy speck of land. The child ate the stories up.

"My friend lost her child too." Riu and Shinpi spoke quietly while Yukina slept. "He was taken from her."

Shinpi felt a rage light in her at the words but she did not speak.

"It is a pain I would not wish on anyone." The ice maiden went on softly, her guilt showing on her face. "I wish I had done more to save her."

"Then I suppose it's your job to make it up to the little one, isn't it?" Shinpi all but hissed.

"What will you do to the man who did this to you?"

"I will carve his heart from his chest and watch it stop beating in my hand."

Shinpi left a week or so later. She was still weak, whatever she'd done to Hiro having drained everything she had. She avoided the major territories, avoided anywhere that traders from Sayol might work. Her years of recovering her energy turned into a dreamlike blur of intoxicants and pain. She didn't want to remember, to feel, to exist, but she couldn't allow herself to die until she knew Hiro had been dealt with.

At some point she wandered into human world, so depleted of power she had no issue passing through a hole in the barrier. She gave her red sword to Chiyo, Kuya's daughter with a brief explanation of who she was to the woman.

"Mother always spoke so highly of you." Chiyo smiled softly, a young girl clinging to her skirt. "She missed you every day."

Shinpi wandered, aimless and forgotten. Her energy came back slowly, and she didn't force it. She had no plan. A ghost, really, that's all she was. There was nothing to convince her she wasn't some sort of specter. And any of her remaining pacifying died with her son. What she lacked in strength she made up for in ruthlessness. There were no second chances. No conversations when she was attacked. Her enemies died.

That's all there was to it.

Once she regained enough of her energy and some of her sense of self, she approached Mukuro for help and was denied.

It didn't matter. She didn't really want to win this fight anyway. She just wanted to kill Hiro and rest. She was tired. So tired. But she did not let that stop her from challenging Hiro to a fight. He sent an army to greet her. It took a week but she laid them all to rest.

It was easy to fight without regard when she knew she would die soon. There was no restraint left. There didn't need to be.

When Hiro finally faced her, she stared at him with empty eyes.

"Why not kill me?" She asked him, a voice full of ice.

"I liked you." Hiro shrugged at her. "We could have been unstoppable together, darling. If only you had let the boy go. He was meant to be killed with your parents but you just had to intervene."

"My parents?" Shinpi stared at him, heat returning to her cold bones. "You killed my parents?"

"No. But I was a part of the plan. Did you never question why I pulled you away just before the attack?" Hiro laughed at her. "Of course not. You never questioned anything. You were too blinded by _love_."

"Your patience impresses me." She declared and the sky above them roiled with deep purple and black clouds.

"It was worth the wait. With the boy's heart, I'm capable of wielding your sword and now Aishling protects _me_." He smiled at her. "The people had no issue with me taking the throne after what you did. You nearly destroyed half the village. I suppose madness runs in the family."

"You convinced them I was mad?" Shinpi could hardly process that. "You murdered my son and I'm the enemy?!"

"Well, they think _you_ murdered your brother." Hiro had never called Kin-Jiro her son, not once. And now that boiled her blood.

They fought viciously, breaking each other. It played out just as the dream she'd had in the cave had shown him. Shinpi opened up a scar in the earth, exposing a chasm under their feet and they both fell. Only, when she lay on the ground underneath, Hiro managed to his feet under him.

"It must be awful, being cursed to lose everything you love." Hiro taunted her, swaying where he stood. "Having it all taken from you because it was never really yours. Your entire family dead, because of you. Because you were too weak and blind to see the truth. You're the most selfish creature I ever met, darling. So willfully ignorant no matter the cost."

He sent a bolt of lightning through her that brought everything to darkness. But those words were seared into her memory.

Hiei opened his eyes, swimming back to reality slowly. His head hurt. He hadn't ever been in someone else's memories for so long before. Shinpi had tears staining her cheeks when she opened her eyes. He realized then she must have been crying most of this time.

"Now you now." She swallowed, her voice hoarse from emotion. "I'm the monster in this story."

Hiei went to argue with her but she sagged forward against him, the toll of the connection hitting her full force. His legs were numb from sitting so long, and when he eventually moved it took time to get them to work properly. Gingerly, he lifted the woman in his arm and cradled her as he made his way back to the temple.

Shinpi was not the monster in this. The man who used her for a decade, pretending to care for her and her son only to betray them both for his own gain, that was the monster. Hiro was the villain and the fact he made her feel any other way only furthered Hiei's immense rage. He'd been so angry on her behalf when Mukuro had revealed that Hiro had killed her son, but not that he knew the extent of the deceit he was beyond fury.

Did she really think he would hate her for these things outside her control? Did she put so much weight on Hiro's opinion that it still held fast in her all these years later?

Hiei glanced down at Shinpi's face, blood-stained and tear-streaked.

Obviously allowing her to face Hiro on her own was out of the question. If the man had this much sway, Hiei couldn't trust the woman to keep a clear head around him. No. Hiei would be there with her, at her side. He would counter those petty arguments with the knowledge of the Shinpi _he_ knew. And _his_ Shinpi would never fall at the hands of such a filthy cretin.

He could do something for Shinpi no one could. He would arm her with information no one else could get for her. He'd go back to Makai, scour Mukuro's library for maps and then he'd make his way to Sayol. He would learn about Hiro's current state firsthand and report back to her. They'd make a plan based on what he learned.

And while he was gone, she could rest and recovery from what she'd shown him. She'd need some time. He'd tell Hayato to take care of her, and trust in the raven's ability to do so.

He wanted nothing more than to curl around her and sleep too, as he laid her in her bed. He wanted her to wake up in his arms and find strength in him. But that would have to wait.

He had work to do.


	38. Bonding

**A/N: TW-Drug Use (Marijuana)**

 **Inspiration for said drug use can be laid on Just2DreamOfYou's One-Shot Mourning Ritual in their Orange Lights One Shot series. Very cute. Made me laugh.**

 **And sorry for the late post. FF is acting a straight fool, and also I was pretty exhausted yesterday and was barely awake most of the day so I was useless anyway. Anyway, have a short chapter. Next chapter we get pretty much all Hiei all the time. What's he up to? What work did he have to do that was so damn pressing? Why can't he leave a damn note like a normal person? Next time** _ **Fire Demons Who Forget Communication is Important**_ **.**

* * *

"You look like shit."

"Thanks, I feel like shit."

Yusuke nodded and leaned on the railing beside Shinpi, overlooking the moonlight drenched garden with her. Some of the flowers bloomed luminescent under the silver light, a gift from Kurama to the temple. She didn't speak again so he looked over at her, studying her with a hand rolled cigarette hanging from his mouth. The spark of the lighter cast them each in a brief flash of orange light as he lit the tip and inhaled.

Shinpi reached over without preamble and pulled the cigarette from his lips. Yusuke glared at her, ready to shout at her for destroying it when he stopped. She brought it to her lips and closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply, blowing out a careful line of smoke. Grumbling, he pulled a second from behind his ear and lit that, half expecting her to take it too. She didn't. She merely continued to lean on the railing with her elbows, staring out over the garden with exhausted, heavy lidded eyes. Ever since he'd shown up at the temple the day before she'd looked this way.

Depleted. That's what Hiei had called it when he'd deposited the woman in her room and told them to let her sleep as long as she could manage before leaving. She'd been through something none of them understood except Hiei, and he had bounced the minute the blanket was pulled up over her body.

That bird guy, Hayato, was livid about it. He kept squawking that Hiei had done something to her, something bad.

Yusuke _really_ didn't like that guy.

But the truth couldn't be denied. Shinpi was definitely suffering in some way. No one had seen her eat since she'd woken up. She hadn't showered yet. Somehow, she seemed smaller than before, but he couldn't place why. It was like she'd given up. And it also couldn't be denied that Hiei had been with her when it happened. The bastard flitting away made him look guilty.

Yusuke wished that he'd pull his head from his ass and just admit it already.

There were worse things than being in love.

But he wasn't going to hold his breath. Hiei would probably refuse to even say he was _able_ to have the emotion much less that he was _experiencing_ it. Yusuke let a cloud of smoke billow out from his lips and frowned.

"I used to have those in my gardens." Shinpi used the hand holding her stolen cigarette to gesture to a particularly bright flower in the garden. Lilac in color, it had six wide petals and grew in abundance. "I used it to make hangover tea. The leaves, that is. The roots are horribly toxic as I found out when I was eight."

Yusuke snorted at that. "What the hell were you doing drinking at _eight_?"

"Obviously I wasn't drinking, idiot. My grandmother had told me the plant could be used for tea so I pulled it out of the ground and used the whole thing." She offered a faraway smile, staring at the soft glow of the flower.

He hummed in response, pointing to a different flower. "What about that one?"

"Kurama must've gotten that one from Gandara, it isn't found anywhere else." She took a drag from her cigarette. "Purely aesthetic, not very useful other than to line paths."

He nodded.

"What's the deal with your boyfriend?" Yusuke prodded, not quite as teasing as he wanted to be. It was hard to muster the charm when she was so withdrawn.

For a few minutes she didn't answer, instead choosing to steadily breath in the acrid smoke. Then she glanced at him for the first time since he'd come out, roving her eyes down him as if to pull something he hadn't said from his expression. Her eyes turned forward again.

"Which one?" She quirked her lips up slightly, the barest hint of a teasing lilt coloring her words.

Yusuke was glad to hear it, honestly. She had him worried.

"Big Bird." He huffed, coming down to the last nub of his cigarette too quickly for his liking. "Tall, dark and brooding."

She offered a quiet chuckle at that.

"Hayato is an old friend. We've always been very close." Shinpi explained quietly. "He is grappling with something we must all face from time to time, as unpleasant as it can be to do so."

"And that is?"

"That the people we love may change in ways we do not desire."

Yusuke finished his cigarette and watched her take a hearty drag from her own, holding the smoke in for a second before releasing it. It occurred to him she must've smoked plenty before. She didn't cough or wince or sputter. Which was particularly interesting considering tobacco wasn't the only plant she was inhaling. He wondered if she'd noticed. He'd made the spliffs on the lighter side because Keiko absolutely hated the smell of weed and he didn't want his fiancée to rethink marrying him.

"You may need something a little more _medicinal_." Kurama placed a new cigarette in Shinpi's fingers as she crushed the last of the previous against the railing. He took his post on her other side, within inches of her but not touching. Merely close enough that if she wished to close the gap she could without much effort.

She didn't.

Shinpi outright snorted at his declaration. "My tolerance isn't what it used to be."

Yusuke's eyes widened too but Kurama seemed nonplussed by her admission.

"Neither is mine, I'm afraid. Human bodies have those sorts of unfortunate limitations. But it's also liberating in a way. And less expensive." He gestured for Yusuke to offer her his lighter.

Shinpi put the joint in her mouth and held still so Yusuke could light the tip for her, inhaling and blowing out a gentle line of smoke. She cleared her throat right after, and passed it to Yusuke, who took a hit and then passed it to Kurama.

"I'll be honest, I thought you were too straight laced for this sort of delinquent behavior." Shinpi cast Kurama a considering side-eye. "From Yusuke this is expected."

"Psh. You're one to talk." Yusuke told her, watching her take her toke. "Since when do you smoke?"

"I've dabbled once or twice in this lifetime." She shrugged, offering it to him once more only for him to decline. Kurama did the same and she was left accepting the burden of slowly finishing the jay herself. "Where did you even get this, Kurama?"

"I may have grown a few special, medicinal herbs back when my mother was ill." He admitted. "And I may or may not have continued to grow them after meeting Yusuke. Genkai is getting older. She enjoys some well-earned relief from time to time."

"Time to time?" Yusuke barked a laugh. "That old hag should have to pay extra taxes for the amount of smoke she puts in the atmosphere. I bet she's the reason the o-zone is shitty."

Shinpi laughed outright at that, doing her best to keep it quiet, but not succeeding.

"My grandmother grew her own stash. Smoked like a chimney, that woman. Now it smells oddly like home." She told them, taking another hit and then demonstrating her passed finesse by blowing a few smoke rings.

Yusuke whistled, nodding in appreciation.

"It's nice to see you smile again. For a minute I thought I was going to have to kick Hiei's ass." Yusuke told her with a grin, shoulder checking her lightly. His smile wavered when she adjusted herself to move slightly away from the contact. "You ready to talk about what happened?"

"Hiei bit off more than he could chew." Shinpi's smile fell and she softened her attention on the garden. "He thought he wanted to know the truth, but it did not sit well with him, as I knew it wouldn't. As I've said before, there is nothing redeemable about me in Hiei's eyes."

She closed her eyes and brought the jay to her lips once more as they all sat in silence.

"I'll miss him."

That made Kurama and Yusuke share a look over her head, confusion and frustration clear on both their faces.

"What happened?" Yusuke tried not to make it a demand but his irritation couldn't be hidden.

Shinpi passed him the joint and he accepted it, hitting it a little too hard and having to work not to cough as his eyes watered. He took a second drag before passing it to Kurama, breaking all etiquette in his annoyance.

"I showed him the highlights of my cowardice." Shinpi finally answered. "From my old life."

"Surely Hiei didn't call you a coward." Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"Hiei didn't call me anything. I think he was too stunned to speak. I lost consciousness soon after we were done, so I can't say for sure what happened after other than he left." She accepted the last of the jay and watched in amusement as Kurama produced another. Thank the gods these things were lightweight. If they were any stronger or larger she'd suspect he was _trying_ to drug her out of her mind. That didn't stop her from once again allowing Yusuke to light her up.

The thought of being numb held its own familiar comfort.

"How many of these do you have tucked up your sleeve?" She asked him with a sly smile.

"Enough." He assured her with an equally devious smirk. "I would like to say that Hiei doesn't approve of intoxicants."

"Yeah, I caught onto that." She shook her head. "It's not like I can really look worse to him now."

"Dude. Shut up." Yusuke put his palm on the crown of her hand like he was grabbing a basketball and squeezed his fingers slightly, a scowl on his face. "You have to stop being so down on yourself. I thought we'd beaten this out of you already."

Shinpi closed her eyes, but wasn't the usual reverie she displayed when falling into physical affection. It was a look that mixed some annoyance with apathy. She removed his hand from her head.

"I suppose I should tell you too." She looked down at the smoke rising from the joint in her fingers. Under her focus it twirled slightly, the gentlest of breezes catching it and playing it into a shape. A wolf that disappeared quickly.

She explained it to them, withdrawn during the retelling of her past. Or the pieces she offered. After each tidbit she closed her eyes, preparing for the onslaught of their disgust. It never came and the longer she spoke, the more anxious she grew until she was forced to pace the garden's path, Kurama and Yusuke at her sides, walking with her. Eventually she gave up on trying to shirk off her discomfort and fell into it, feeling her energy drain through the soles of her feet as if it were being sucked away.

That's how the three of them came to lay in the grass, surrounded by moonlight and the soft, forgiving glow of petals from another world.

"Fuck dude." Yusuke stared up at the stars, glaring at the sky.

"Indeed." Kurama agreed.

"I have to get stronger." Shinpi lifted one hand upwards, as though she could pluck the stars from the heavens. She looked at the distant twinkling lights between her outstretched fingers before curling her hand into a fist. "Not just physically, but mentally. I have to be able to fight with everything and right now I don't know that I can."

"Like you did when Momozono died?" Yusuke asked carefully.

"No. Something more than that." She lowered her hand to her stomach. "When I say everything, I mean all that I have. That includes restraint. Hiei was right about that, before. I can fight and win, but fighting and living is another thing."

"Hiei is scared you're going to try to die on him." Yusuke announced quietly. "He was pissed when we got you back from those assholes. He told me to keep out of it so he could make sure you survived."

Shinpi accepted that information with a sigh. "He told me you told him he was scared."

"He was."

"I know."

That made Yusuke sit up on his elbows to stare at her. "You know?"

"I'm not blind, Yusuke." She rolled her eyes to him. "Of course I know."

Kurama rolled his face away from Shinpi and rolled his eyes with the movement. "I told you to stop playing around with this."

"I told you I'd seek your advice if I wanted it." Shinpi shot at the fox. "Hiei requires a certain approach, and I'm going to do this my way or not at all."

Then she pressed her hands to her head and stomped her feet a few times, offering a growl of frustration.

"He's so annoying!" She declared. "And now I don't even know what the hell he thinks of me because he up and _ran_. What a nuisance."

"Seriously, you're going to age me before my time." Kurama complained. "Hiei is never going to be the one to approach you."

"You'd be surprised." Shinpi smirked then, an expression that had both men on their elbows to stare at her face. "What?"

"Yo! That shrimp's game must be hella good." Yusuke looked over at Kurama. "When did you two hook up?"

"We aren't having sex." Shinpi told him, amused.

Yusuke flopped back to the ground, offering a drawn out, "Booooorrrriiiinnggggg. Call me when there's a pregnancy scare."

"Yusuke!" Kurama chastised sharply.

Shinpi sat up, her hand on her stomach again. Yusuke caught that action and then grimaced.

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." She cut him off and eased the tension from the shoulders. Then turned to sit facing both of them. "Hayato wants me to reclaim my throne. He wants me to go back with him. He's right, it's my obligation to my people to intervene. Who knows what Hiro is doing to them?"

"You ain't obligated to do shit." Yusuke sneered. "If he's so worried about it, why can't he do it?"

"Funny, that was Hiei's sentiment too." She raised her eyebrows then smiled softly, her arms winding around her drawn up knees. "I never wanted to rule. I did it because I had to. I just wanted to protect my people, my family. I failed on all accounts."

"On the contrary, I think you performed admirably given the situations you presented." Kurama pointed out. "Your father hesitated and got injured. You had to make a choice no one else could've and you took on an opponent who outclassed you to minimize the losses accrued. Your hand was forced. You did what you had to. And no one is prepared for war. You were young, inexperienced. But the next battle you improved, ultimately you lost far less than most others could claim to against Mukuro."

"And Hiro is just a fucking bastard. You can't be responsible for him. I mean that dude was dedicated to the long con." Yusuke waved a hand through the air.

"I understand that you're trying to comfort me." Shinpi told them, but her smile faded. "But neither of you would give yourselves these allowances."

"Well, maybe not right away." Yusuke rubbed his neck, moving to sit criss-cross. "But eventually you sort of have to accept it right? Or you'd never learn from it."

Kurama blinked at Yusuke, tilting his head to the side. "That's profound, Yusuke."

"Why do you sound surprised!?" Yusuke brandished his fist. "I'm a fucking fountain of knowledge and shit!"

Kurama put up his hand and laughed nervously, trying to assuage the other man.

"I-I don't want to be king." Shinpi spoke quietly, drawing her knees to her chest and curling into them slightly. The others turned to her. "But when I kill Hiro, there will be no one else to take charge. I don't think I have a choice."

"Let's worry about that more when we get closer to that end." Kurama offered. "We'll come up with a way."

"Yeah, there's an answer." Yusuke assured her.

She looked skeptical, but nodded.

"You're not going to go with that guy, though, are you?" Yusuke frowned at her. "Like, you're not going to run off, right?"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to. I've got obligations here." She loosened up some.

"Oh, that's right." Yusuke nodded.

"Is it now?" Kurama stared between them, unimpressed. "What obligations?"

Yusuke's face turned red and he glanced at Shinpi who merely remained impassive.

"The sort that only I can fulfill." She told the fox easily. "Don't worry about it too much. It'll all be made clear soon enough."

"So where does that leave Big Bird?" Yusuke asked, changing the subject. "If you're not going with him? Is he staying here?"

"I don't know." And not having an answer at the ready made Shinpi chew her lip. "It had never occurred to me that Hayato would find me. I've missed him so much, but now that he's here, I don't know what to do with him. I suppose we'll talk about it."

A moment of quiet settled over the three of them, and in it Shinpi found her thoughts too readily turning toward the fact a certain presence was missing. Her fingers made their way to the grass and she plucked a blade free, toying with it as if the action might reveal some answers. A feral, buried part of her demanded she hunt him down and force him to answer her questions. This had been his idea after all. But her rational mind dismissed the idea at once, replacing it with questions she didn't want.

Had she made a mistake? Should she have sheltered Hiei more? Was there a way to undo this?

Containing her sigh, she knew it didn't matter.

She'd never have been satisfied with their relationship if he didn't know the truth. This would have happened sooner or later. And Hiei was a good man. He deserved to know what she had done. Offering anything less than the whole truth would have been disrespectful, a slap in the face after all he'd done so far to help her.

She just wished he'd at least told her his thoughts before disappearing. There was the chance the boys were right and that Hiei felt the same about her now as he did before. But without him here to ask, it was impossible to know the truth. It was better to assume the worst. Hiei returning and calling her an idiot for doubting him was far better than believing he'd come back only to find out he loathed her.

And honestly, if he'd wanted to stay, he would have.

The blade of grass fell from suddenly still fingers and she closed her eyes.

None of this was how it was supposed to be. Hayato wasn't supposed to find her. Hiei wasn't supposed to leave. And worst of all, she wasn't supposed to care.

If someone had told her a year ago that she'd be mourning the absence of the fire demon, she'd have laughed and called them deranged.

She wasn't laughing now.

"Hey." Yusuke nudged her shoulder. "We'll figure it out."

Blue eyes moved to meet his, scanning his face without much of a response. Then Shinpi offered a slight nod.

"And we have some friends we can call to help with your training." He beamed at her. "Maybe beating up some fresh meat will make you feel better."

"Perhaps." She allowed quietly, still lost in her own thoughts. "You should go inside and get some sleep. I'm sure Genkai will rouse the household early as usual."

"What about you?" Kurama asked softly. "You need rest too."

Shinpi nodded again and rose to her feet, offering her hand to each of them in turn. She barely heard them bid her goodnight once they entered the temple and parted ways, and she wasn't sure if she had responded or not. Sleep sounded painless right then. Quiet.

And she could use some reprieve from her cycling thoughts.

Curled up on her bed, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. Rest. Kurama was right. She needed rest. She needed a moment of peace. It's all she'd wanted from all of this from the beginning, wasn't it? Peace? Rest? That encompassing darkness that meant everything and nothing. An emptiness, silence, to replace the anger and spite and fear and pain that had been fueling her for so long.

Rest.

She'd been so close to it.

A thought whispered through her mind, shook loose from its normally guarded cage. In recent months she'd been very careful about what she allowed herself to consider. Some options, it had been made clear, simply weren't in the cards for her anymore. But the thought persisted.

 _With Hiei out of the picture, there's nothing really keeping you from finally getting the peace you want._

If she'd had more energy, or maybe if she'd cared more, the smile that graced her face as she fell asleep to the idea would have alarmed her. But there was something hopeful about it, wasn't there? Hiei was the only one truly standing in her way. And he was gone. And with him, her most significant obstacle disappeared.

That rest she wanted was within reach again.

She just had to face Hiro and take it.


	39. Sayol

**A/N: According to old Irish myths willow trees could walk around at night and would follow travelers whispering. For YYHFanfiction's rare writing contest I did a bunch of research on mythology, particularly pertaining to Ireland, and so much of it is useful for Shinpi's history. Ivy, growing on a grave, predicts a restless spirit and the evergreen itself speaks to resurrection after death. Rowan on a grave attempts to keep the dead from rising. Blackthorne grows where dark secrets are and increases them.**

 **And then there is The Morrigan, Lugh, Brigid. Gods in the Irish Pantheon (which was numerous and had over 300 dieties).**

 **I'm planning on using some of this lore from this point out. The language that Shinpi and Hayato use, and that the people sometimes speak in is Gaelic, or really, a derivative of it. I'm a little late introducing some of this but we'll chalk that up to Shinpi's secretive nature, especially pertaining to her past. Deal? Deal.**

 **Also I'm sorry this late. The last two weeks have been a mental health nightmare but I'm doing better! Sorry for dropping off without warning.**

* * *

Stars.

Plentiful, twinkling stars in a clear sky smeared with the ghostly white he knew to be the Milky Way, as Kurama had described it to him some years before.

Hiei stared up at the sparkling canopy with a strange sense of familiarity mingling with his own disbelief. He'd seen this through Shinpi's eyes, but he hadn't really believed it. He didn't think anywhere in Makai could have such a raw expanse of sky. Yet there it was, hovering over his head with its endless, daunting existence.

He had a new respect for Shinpi fleeing her lands as a teenager, unarmed and alone, now that he'd been forced to trek through the same desert. The five-day trip was rife with danger. How it was possible for mirages to try to kill you, he wasn't sure, but it happened. And the sandstorms. He was just relieved to be on firm ground once more, his exhausted limbs demanding rest after going nonstop. Pulling the hood he'd fashioned from his scarf from his head and wrapping the material from his around his face, Hiei took in his first impression of Sayol.

The forest looming before him was interspersed with luminescent trees and the age-old growth familiar to him from the memories he'd seen. Beyond that, there didn't seem to be much to observe. He could hear small animals foraging, the soft flap of large wings. The sounds of nature at night, nothing new to him.

He'd been careful about his course. He was here to study, to spy, not to interact. With that in mind he'd used the maps in Mukuro's library to guide himself to the mountain on the northeast edge of the territory. From there he'd be able to work his way to Aishling through merchant paths and by sticking to the forest that webbed through the land, connecting all the towns and cities. Once he gathered information about the state of the territory, spied Hiro with his own eyes and visited Aishling he'd return and report his findings.

Hiei jumped into one of the trees with thicker branches and more leaves to conceal himself, no soft glow to bother him. Closing his eyes, he settled in to rest for a short while.

The tremors jostled him awake before the sound reached him. Hiei peeled his eyes open to the considerable darkness around him and put one hand on the trunk of the tree to keep his balance as it shook again. Glancing between the branches he spied the culprit. For a moment he thought he was still asleep but soon realized he was wrong. The unsettling whispering, like wind through leaves speaking in a language he did not know, rooted him in reality.

The willow tree drug itself through the forest, roots slithering outwards and pulling it along. Saplings buckled under its approach.

It loomed near his post, the rustling of its leaves muttering phrases foreign to him. The branches moaned in a language that reminded him of Shinpi.

He flitted to another tree, further away and settled back in. It wasn't long before the shaking woke him again, those unusual whispers stirring a sense of misplaced familiarity in him. He glared at the tree and watched it drag himself toward him. This time he waited.

Kurama, and his own experiences, had trained Hiei to be extremely wary of plants in Demon World. But this one seemed less inclined to consume him and more interested in offering to him it's senseless, ceaseless whispers. He stared, on edge, and then eventually went back to sitting calmly and assessing his stalker. It seemed content to lurk. He closed his eyes and feigned relaxation. If it attacked he'd be able to move.

Nothing.

After a few minutes he fell into an uneasy rest, his dreams permeated by the restless language of the leaves, branches, and wind.

The trees didn't follow him during the day, he discovered quickly as a few tests. They remained rooted in place, the forest a thing of immense life and the sort of constant movement that mimicked utter stillness. If one wasn't paying attention it would seem restful. But he paid attention. He saw the vines slithering up the trunks of ancient trees, the wind moving branches and catching the aroma of budding flowers despite the time of year. Animals foraged. Birds watched him and flew away when he drew too close. Wolves the size of human world cars stalked between green-tinted shadows hunting three eyed deer with moss hanging from their prongs.

This was Shinpi's world, the pieces she hadn't shown him. The fat she had trimmed for his easier digestion of her memory.

No wonder she had seemed at home in the mountains wearing furs and soft soled shoes.

He wanted to see her in those clothes again, here, where she would be at home. He wanted to see her run through the forest with a smile on her face, chasing wolves and thanking the trees. What did her people wear now? Her memories were old. Had the towns changed?

It took him two days to find out. He crested the mountain and surveyed the lush green oasis below him, seemingly plucked from another world entirely and misplaced here in the center of a foreboding desert. A town curled against the base of the mountain.

Lughsavdil, he learned from the sign on the trail he followed with an arrow pointing in the direction he headed. Once he arrived it was familiar to him in the way that one feels when they forget they have never visited a spot before. He recognized nothing, no faces, no homes, no landmarks. And yet, it still felt like he was returning after a long trip away.

The pastures were lush and green, thriving. The houses, stores and huts were solidly built and relatively modern looking. He'd seen older architecture at least. The roofs were solid, no thatch to be found. As he walked through the open air market, eying the fruits and wares, children ran around him filling the air with laughter. A host of demons, some humanoid and some far from it, watched him with mingled expressions of weariness and welcome. The faces of those who did not often receive visitors but felt they should be welcoming anyway.

They were not wolf demons, mostly, he noted. And they did not wear furs but tunics and pants, loose fitting shirts with ties in the front, leather vests. Those that wore shoes wore slippers like him or boots that reached their knees or high made of soft looking leather. The children wore billowing shirts they would grow into with time, and linen pants tied at the waist. Most of them were barefoot, at home running over the dirt paths.

The next few towns were the same. The roads connecting them were well used, well kempt. No one outright attacked him. There were no robbers lurking along the paths ready to pounce on merchants as he would have expected. In fact, there seemed to be little crime at all that he saw. No fights, other than spirited haggling at the markets.

Hiei sat in a tavern, eating the local fare without much thought to what it was. Something gamey, with tough meat but a punch of flavor, and what appeared to be some sort of porridge? Maybe?

"What brings you to Sayol?" The teenager filling glasses and checking on customers smiled at him. She had large lavender eyes and brown hair woven back in a braid that reached her shoulders. Her clothes matched everyone else's an earthy green pair of trousers coupled with a light colored shirt, tucked in and partially covered by the leather vest she wore in the same color as her boots.

Hiei stared at her. He knew eventually someone would question his motives but he still hadn't decided how to approach this conversation. Tell them outright he was there to assess the territory? But that would be taken as an act of aggression given his connection to Mukuro? For a vacation? Seemed thin. So, for now, he stared.

"It's just that we don't get a whole lot of travelers for no reason. Merchants aplenty, new citizens sure, but not many sight seers." She prodded him, her smile wavering.

"Who says I'm not a merchant?" He asked her brusquely.

"You don't have anything to sell." She pointed out.

"Maybe I'm seeking to make this my home."

"You haven't bought new clothes or inquired about work or housing." She shook her head. "No. You're here for something else."

He studied her and then smirked. "You caught me. I'm here because of a story I heard. I wanted to see if it was true."

"A story?" She sat across from him, leaning forward in her intrigue.

"I heard your king bested the king of Alaric in combat." Hiei explained in a low voice. "I was surprised. He must be extremely powerful."

Her face fell and she glanced to the side, to what appeared to be her father, the tavern owner. Then she shifted her attention cautiously back to Hiei.

"That was the previous king. We aren't supposed to talk about her." She informed him quietly, somber. "They say she went mad and slaughtered her son and attempted to take her husband down with her."

"Do they?" Hiei squinted at her. "You don't agree."

Her cheeks colored at his words. "We have to learn about her in school, but only for history purposes."

"And what you learned makes you question the story." Hiei was firm in this point. He watched her glance toward her father again. "Why aren't you supposed to speak about her?"

"Just, no one does." She shrugged. "She was supposed to protect us. Her bloodline is why Sayol exists. For her to go mad and try to destroy it…They say she was cursed and anyone who speaks of her too often or fondly will be the same. It's inviting bad luck to say her name."

Hiei understood a lot of things then.

"I don't believe in luck." He informed her. "What's your name?"

"Miki." She blinked at him.

"I take it this former king has died." Hiei looked around the tavern at the local patrons. "Shame. I wanted to fight them."

She outright snorted at that declaration and shook her head. "You wouldn't have stood a chance. She was the strongest person in the whole kingdom, even stronger than her grandfather who was dangerously powerful. She surpassed him when she was young than I am now. And she _did_ beat the king of Alaric."

"Interesting." Hiei leaned forward, mimicking her posture of interest. "Tell me more."

"She was a brilliant strategist and a gifted warrior. No one ever bested her in battle, not until King Hiro. It used to be said that she was an incarnation of the Morrigan and that her sword was enchanted. Some think it is the Fragarach but I don't think so."

"Morrigan? What is that?" Hiei blinked at her.

"The goddess of war and fate." Miki smiled at him, eager to offer the information. "She protected the sovereign and livestock, and is said to be the guardian of the territory and its people. A monster in female form that could predict the deaths of soldiers. In old legends she shapeshifts, mostly in a crow or raven, but sometimes a heifer or a wolf."

"And you think she was this goddess?"

"No. Not really. Although there are a lot of parallels. But it is Lugh who carries the enchanted sword, not The Morrigan. And Lugh had a fierce, undefeatable hound just like her!" Miki nodded earnestly. "And a spear that never missed its mark. Lugh used Flagarach, a sword that could cut through any armor or shield, the wound from which no man could recover from, and it put the wind at the user's command. It's said that held at Flagarach's point, you could not lie."

Hiei listened raptly.

"And his hound, a massive beast, was invincible in battle. Any beast it hunted it could caught. And the former king, she had a loyal companion in a wolf." Miki grinned, a brightness entering her eyes. "Though, her second in command was a raven."

"Did this king use a spear?"

"No. She used a bow and arrow though. And she never missed." Miki leaned further forward as if they were discussing a sensitive conspiracy. Maybe they were. Hiei followed her lead with interest. "Personally? I don't think she was a god at all."

"No?" Hiei smirked then.

"No." She shook her head. "Those are just the rumors of the elders. We don't worship the old gods much anymore. We haven't in a long time. But-"

"But?"

"But she did turn into a wolf once." Miki whispered this information with great reverie and some trepidation. Her eyes once again bounced to her father. "When she supposedly went mad."

Crimson eyes blinked, then shifted as well to study the man watching them talk. "She did?"

"Yes." Miki kept her voice as quiet as she could. "Her grandfather, the first king, transformed just before she was forced to kill him. It's said that the madness of heartbreak shattered him, and that a Spirit Wolf came forth made of wind and fire."

Hiei knew this story. He had seen it firsthand, through Shinpi's eyes.

"I think." Miki swallowed. "I think the same thing happened to the king. I think something broke her heart so completely she became her own essence. A Spirit Wolf, like her grandfather. A creature made of sharp winds and icy water. Some of the elders were alive then. They saw the beast. They say it's howl shook the mountain and trees, that it's footsteps created floods and that it's rage created a storm that raged for an endless week. It became so dark you could not tell if it was day or night."

This… this is what Shinpi did not remember herself. She had transformed? Became like her grandfather before her and daunted her beloved territory as a terrifying visage of disaster to come.

"Why a week?" Hiei breathed the question.

"I don't know. Supposedly King Hiro fought her for that entire time." Miki offered an apologetic shrug. "They were married, you see. After it was done he announced the death of the prince and the madness of his wife, and he took the throne. Years later she returned and they fought again, for another week. King Hiro had an army ready then, but she cut through them."

They sat quietly for a few seconds that stretched with tension.

"Madness does not come so suddenly." Miki bowed her head, her fist clenched.

"You don't think she went mad at all." Hiei knew this as a fact.

"I don't." She agreed in a hushed whisper. "But to suggest otherwise is a punishable offense."

He nodded.

"King Hiro is a good king. We are thriving. We are safe." Miki told him a bit louder. Then again lowered her voice. "But I do not think that throne was his to take."

Hiei assessed her and worked to lock her words, her face, into his memory so he could show them to Shinpi later. "Do you have any friendly advice for a traveler?"

"You may want to blend in." She shrugged. "Perhaps you should buy local clothes. And if you're truly interested in seeing Sayol, I'd suggest taking the time to visit our largest city Aishling. It's said to be the heart of the land. And if you want to learn more about the kings, that's where to go."

Hiei tossed some money onto the table and rose from his seat. "I appreciate the advice."

He did as she suggested and purchased two sets of clothes. Two pairs of soft grey trousers, two sets of soft soled black leather boots, a white shirt and a dark blue tunic and a plain red shirt that tied closed from the middle of his chest up. He shoved his usual clothes and the second set into a satchel and continued on his way.

The deep red of his shirt stuck out amongst the more subdued hues of the citizens. He didn't care much. He visited several cities and towns, learning what he could as he picked his way to Aishling.

He watched as a child no older than six shot a raven out of a tree with a slingshot and then beamed at him happily. "If you turn in a blackbird, you get enough money to buy a treat!"

When he inquired why, a merchant informed him that ravens, crows and the like were considered omens of bad luck. It was the law to kill them on sight.

Hiei imagined that Hiro, having grown so close to Shinpi, would have known of Hayato's abilities. He was smart to demand the extermination of the birds. That intelligence made Hiei uneasy.

A man who could meet Shinpi at her worst and battle with her for a week? Who was smart enough to plan for years ahead how to ascend to the thrown and then manipulate a whole territory into trusting him? It filled his stomach with heavy stones of dread and his blood with the heat of anticipation of watching Shinpi finally knocking him from his pedestal.

Hiro had kept the schools Shinpi had created and added more as the territory grew. He had also expanded the guard and the military beyond what she had designated. Hiei noted all the soldiers wore that deep royal blue that Shinpi associated with her family. None of them wore plated armor though. They carried short swords and bowstaffs.

He avoided them.

It took some searching and backtracking, but Hiei found himself at the edge of the territory again. He stared down into the crevice carved through the earth, a gaping maw of darkness. It was larger in person, he decided. The crack ran at least a half-kilometer long and a quarter wide. The lands around it were devoid of the usual forestry he'd come to expect. Instead the ground was abundant with short shrubs of stinging green leaves that created a plush but uncomfortable carpet. The trees were only one variety, a short thing with small white flowers. The trunk seemed to be several thinner trunks grown from the same roots. Here there was no sound but the wind, him stepping through the field, and the _krek krek krek_ call of some lonesome insect. On the edge of the hole he spied tendrils of ivy.

The evergreen vine climbed the walls and bottom of the cave, he discovered after climbing down. It twirled around the stalagmites and stalagtites like an intricate lively tattoo. How it thrived down here without the sun, he didn't try to guess. There were no offerings down here. No lanterns to light the way. But he could see well enough.

It was quiet. Solemn.

Lonely.

He knelt at Shinpi's grave, a mound of dirt and rocks blanketed by the creeping vines, and marked by a stone obelisk with her name. around the obelisk was woven branches from a tree he did not know. He recorded it all in his mind's eye. Shinpi might be able to tell him more.

With a bowed head, he studied the grave.

Was she still in there? Was Shinpi's body trapped beneath a pile of rocks and dirt or was it inside her as Kurama's seemed to be? What did they bury?

Part of him wanted to dig to find out.

Part of him knew better than to try.

It didn't matter, not really. Shinpi was in alive and well in Human World, waiting for him to get back. Building her strength.

Would he even know the woman under those rocks? Would she know him?

Would she want to?

He stood up and pulled an offering from his satchel. Nothing too much, especially since he knew the woman was still alive. But he placed the singular throwing knife on her grave all the same.

"See you soon." He muttered, lingering for a moment.

Then he readied himself for the last leg of this journey.

Aishling.

He saw the tree before he saw the castle. It towered over the city, nestled in its center and easily spied from his post on a massive pine. The branches were heavy with leaves but no flowers bloomed.

Hiei learned, through careful questions, that the tree hadn't bloomed in some time. Through his deduction he assessed it hadn't since Shinpi had left the territory. That seemed interesting, another tidbit to be stowed away for the woman's assessment.

The city bustled. It was unlike anywhere else he'd been in Demon World previously. There was art, tapestries. Markets so long they made him uneasy. Beings flooded the streets and buildings. The castle was guarded by stringent soldiers who never moved from their posts. Inside he spied several trees growing on the grounds that didn't seem to belong.

That's as close as he got.

He stared at the massive tree and leaned his head against its bark as Shinpi had done a hundred times when seeking solace or answers. He traced the cracks with his fingertips and inhaled the woody scent.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

That voice. Hiei turned slowly, pulling back from the tree but lingering one hand against the rough bark. Hiro stood near him, chin lifted as he studied the branches of the tree that cast them in green shadow. His shock of white-blond hair softly rested against his dark tan skin. When he looked at Hiei, it was with friendly golden eyes.

Hiei stared back, his own expression void. His blood sung with the need to drive his sword through this man's innards. To drag him to Human World and toss him at Shinpi's feet. His fingers dug into the cracks woven between Aishling's bark. He said nothing.

He did nothing.

"This tree is the backbone of Sayol. Aina, the first queen, raised it from the desert herself by shedding her blood." Hiro went on and flashed Hiei a warm smile. "Does it speak to you?"

In a way, yes, it did. It urged Hiei to be calm. To plant his feet and steady himself.

"It's a tree." Hiei responded instead, allowing his hand to withdraw from the steady, firm surface.

"Indeed it is." Hiro admitted. "My wife used to tell me that Aishling spoke to her. It offered comfort or guidance when she was in need. I've never heard it myself."

That's because you're an imposter, Hiei thought bitterly but didn't let it show.

Hiro stood near seven feet tall with wide shoulders and a straight back. His hands were clasped behind him. He wore a tunic of deep blue, bordered by iridescent gold thread. His underclothing was as deep a yellow as one could get to resemble gold.

"You must be the king." Hiei stated simply. "I've heard about you Lord Hiro."

"Indeed, I am." Hiro flashed him another smile.

Hiei fought the urge to knock those teeth down his throat.

"What brings you to Sayol?" Hiro asked gently.

"I was looking to fight the king that defeated Mukuro. It seems I'm too late." Hiei shrugged. "I decided to see the rest of the territory while I was already here."

"Ah. You must be referring to my wife." Hiro shifted then, subtly. His expression tensed slightly around the eyes. "That was a long time ago, I'm curious how you heard of her."

"A bandit I encountered." Hiei offered the lie easily enough. "He told me once drank with a woman from Sayol who talked about a war the territory one. I came to see if it was true."

"Do you always fight those you think are powerful?" Hiro eyed him, gradually losing his charming smile.

"I fight those who catch my interest." Hiei huffed, not bothering to hide the way he assessed the man before him. "I haven't found anyone who has since I've been here though, so don't worry. I won't be engaging in any battles within your borders."

Hiro stared for a moment and Hiei saw when his underhanded barb hit home, but it was covered quickly.

"Unless your wife is around." Hiei posited with a smirk.

"Unfortunately, she died some time ago." Hiro softened then and for a moment, Hiei believed the act. He looked genuinely lost as he returned to staring up at Aishling's canopy. His smile disappeared. It was all very convincing.

If Hiei didn't know the truth, he'd probably believe him.

But he did know. He knew every bitter detail of it. From the first look to the last. From the first time Hiro brushed his fingers over Shinpi's hand to when he shoved those same fingers through her chest. He shoved his hands into his pockets so that the other man wouldn't see the fists he made, though he doubted the tension coursing through him went entirely unnoticed.

What right did this bastard have to look so forlorn? He was the one who had done this. He murdered Shinpi. She didn't leave him. She didn't die. She was slain. Cut open, her heart broken and her body shattered. Hiro did that to her.

"Are you married?" Hiro asked after a few moments of silence. He returned his golden gaze to dark crimson eyes.

"No." Hiei worked to his tone even, flippant. "But I have a woman."

"Is that so? And does she approve of you seeking out such intense battles?"

Hiei remembered the first memory of Shinpi's that truly captured his interest. The one that drew him into her life. Her unabashed thirst to fight him at his most powerful when she saw his dragon for the first time. The thought of it lifted his lips.

"Compared to her, all other fights are nothing." Hiei looked away from Hiro with a smirk.

"How long will you be staying here in Aishling with us?" Hiro asked, back to smiling like a charming king.

"I won't be. I've seen what I need to." Hiei turned on heel and walked away.

It took eight days to cross back through Sayol and the desert beyond. He changed back into his usual clothes before the trip. By the time he arrived back at Mukuro's castle he was exhausted and entirely done with seeing sand. He shook a pile of it out of his hair before collapsing on his bed, his satchel tossed onto the floor beside him.

It felt strange to sleep indoors again, and stranger still to sleep in the quiet without the whispering of trees. Passing through the desert he had realized the sky had returned to its reddish hue and starless nights. Yawning, he settled in.

There was business waiting for him with Mukuro before he could return to Human World and report to Shinpi. His eyes drifted close at the thought.

He dreamt of ancient trees with voices older than the wind and blue eyed wolves. When he finally awoke he wandered to find Mukuro to discuss whatever matter so urgently needed his attention.

The king smiled at him, sitting at the head of a table in the dining hall. Hiei assessed her before glancing to the left where a woman waited with barely hidden nerves. Hiei raked his eyes down, came up empty for a reason for her presence and turned back to Mukuro who gestured for him to sit. He did so, beginning to eat without waiting for her to speak.

"Hiei, this is Runa." Mukuro loosely gestured to the petite blonde.

"And?" Hiei glanced at the woman again, noting her cropped hair and angled brown eyes. Thin frame, barely any muscle. She stood shorter than him by a few inches. No apparently weaponry.

He wondered if Shinpi had discovered that he'd tucked her sword back under the floorboard in Genkai's room. He wasn't going to risk bringing it with him on this journey, too certain it would be recognized.

"And, she's going to be your protégé." Mukuro smiled at her right hand man only to watch him choke on his meal. After a second of sputtering he glared at her.

"I don't need a protégé." He snapped. "I don't want one."

"I need you to have one." She told him easily. "You've been absent more than present recently and we need someone to fill your duties while you're away."

Hiei snarled at that. "You approved these absences."

"And I stand by that. However, the fact remains." She shrugged loosely. "You'll taking Runa with you and training her. With any luck, she'll become a less insubordinate version of yourself."

Hiei rolled his eyes away from his leader and scoffed.

Mukuro turned to Runa. "That is exactly what I don't want you to do."

"Understood ma'am." Runa nodded earnestly. Then with a sheepish smile she addressed Hiei. "I'm looking forward to working with you Lord Hiei."

"Don't call me that." Hiei snapped at her then glared at Mukuro again. "This is ridiculous."

"It's an order."

Despite trying to weasel out of it several more times, Hiei found himself leaving the castle with Runa on his heels. What was Mukuro thinking? The last thing he needed was another troublesome woman around. At least Shinpi could care for herself. Runa was a useless lump of bones to him. She had no experience in battle. As far as he was concerned, he was once again babysitting and he made that as clear as possible.

"Keep up or get left behind." Hiei told her with a sneer before running toward the closest access point to Human World.

To her credit, despite struggling through it, she did as he said. She ran behind him, falling back, but close enough to always keep him in view. Hiei smirked.

Maybe she'd prove useful yet.


	40. Homecoming

**Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than usual.**

 **I wanted to thank you all for your wonderful reviews and messages. You're all insanely kind people and I just appreciate you so damn much.**

 **Also, I wanted to use this chapter as a plug for YYHFanfiction's Rare Fiction Contest over on tumblr! It's a really cool contest and you might enjoy participating!**

* * *

It was quiet at the temple when Runa and Hiei eased onto the grounds. Hiei warned her to keep the silence intact as they entered the building and he guided her to the rooms toward the back, close to where he slept when he bothered sleeping inside.

"Don't wander around." Hiei narrowed his eyes on Runa. "There are demons all over the place and most of them won't think twice about killing you. Stay in the temple unless I tell you otherwise."

"Yes sir." Runa nodded. Then she glanced around the empty hall. "Where is the restroom?"

Hiei had already started walking away. He rolled his eyes his and turned back to her. After showing her the baths and restroom, he huffed. "Anything else?"

"Where will you be?" She stared at him.

"I have something to do." Hiei grumped. "It doesn't concern you. Go sleep."

He turned again and marched away, leaving to do whatever the hell she wanted as long as it didn't involve him. Hiei opened Shinpi's door and crept inside only to find her absent from her bed when he sat on it. Blinking in the darkness he looked around her room and noticed that her travel bag was missing.

Damn.

She must have gone to her house.

He groaned in frustration and laid back on her bed. It was fine. He'd hunt her down the next day.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Runa caught Hiei as he tossed open the front door to the temple.

"Does it matter?" He glared at her.

"I'm supposed to stay with you." She stared back at him. "Mukuro's orders were clear, sir."

"Mukuro isn't here." Hiei pointed out.

"Are you suggesting that when you're not in Alaric you are disloyal?"

That set his teeth grinding. "Fine. Come on."

Runa marveled at the change in scenery around them as they made their way towards the city, then through it. She stared at the buildings, the sky, the people. Hiei had to pull her out of traffic twice, though the second time he almost considered letting the bus clip her. It was early afternoon when they approached Shinpi's house. Hiei noted the lawn had finally been repaired, the roughs filled in and despite the late time of year new grass had grown. The cracks in the house were patched and repainted. There were even flowers growing in front of the house under the windows and around the front steps.

He pulled his key from his shirt.

"You live here?" Runa whispered, surprised.

"Yes." Hiei paused for a beat. "Sometimes. When I'm in Human World."

"Don't take this the wrong way but I didn't judge you to be the sort of man to keep a house." The blonde followed him in quietly and followed his lead of taking off their shoes.

"I'm not." Hiei informed her curtly, tense at her mere presence.

Music wafted through the entry hall and Hiei walked toward it, the sound of the violin unusual but unmistakable. He hadn't heard Shinpi play since that day at her university. Runa followed behind him, a few steps back, as Hiei leaned against the wall opening the hallway into the living room.

Shinpi stood in the center of the room coaxing notes out of the strings with the kiss of her bow, her eyes closed.

Runa looked at Hiei's face and watched him watch the dark haired woman. He changed. It made her body warm and her mouth go dry. His hard crimson eyes softened some, his jaw loosened and his lips lifted into a warm almost-grin. The music tapered off gently, fading softly until there was only silence. Slowly the woman opened her eyes and met Hiei's gaze with a neutral expression that hinted at nothing.

But then she moved her attention passed him to Runa, and the blonde felt struck into place as if someone had glued her feet to the floor. She swallowed thickly, the hair on the back of her neck rising.

The woman didn't speak, didn't address either of them at first. She moved to put the instrument back in its case and only with her back to them during that task did she open her mouth.

"You didn't need to come. I'm sure you have more important things to do."

Hiei pushed off the wall and walked into the living room leaving Runa to flounder in the hall, battling her nerves.

"Not really." He assured the woman lightly.

Even Runa could tell he seemed to be waiting for something. He watched the woman with keen interest, never taking his eyes off of her. But she didn't return the favor. She looked everywhere but at him even when she turned to face him.

"I hope you didn't feel the need to rush back just to check on me. I'm fine on my own." Her subdued tone made Hiei squint. Then she once more turned to Runa. "I see you've made good use of your time."

"Hn." Hiei glanced to Runa as well. "I guess."

"I'm Runa." The young woman extended her hand to Shinpi, who glanced at it with one arched brow then slowly returned her impassive gaze to the woman's face. A heartbeat then two passed before Runa retracted her hand slowly. She offered a nervous smile, looked to Hiei and noticed him squinting at Shinpi. She forged on, despite her discomfort. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Unfortunate to learn." Shinpi responded coolly, then turned and walked toward the kitchen without another word.

Hiei stared after her, eyebrows so high they were hidden under his bandana.

"Don't approach her without me." Hiei warned Runa, but it sounded like he was off in thought. He frowned, trying to puzzle out Shinpi's behavior.

It had been a long time since she'd been so standoffish. What about Runa had triggered the reaction?

"You should have warned her." Kurama offered from the doorway, his eyes scanning over their newest companion with guarded interest. Hiei turned to stare at him, noticing the bag of groceries in the fox's hand.

"Don't be ridiculous." Hiei scoffed. "Shinpi is as strong as I am. She has no reason to need to be warned about someone as weak as Runa."

Runa flushed, shooting Hiei a look.

"You know, for once I'm going to do as she asks. I'm going to let you figure this one out on your own." Kurama shook his head and sighed. "Welcome back, Hiei."

Hiei didn't like the way that sounded. He glared at the fox then nodded for Runa to follow him so he could show her where to sleep while Shinpi and Kurama made lunch together, soft music playing from her boom box. They ate together and then Shinpi left to do some errands, leaving Hiei to situate Runa in his room himself.

It was later that night when Hiei attempted to open the door to Shinpi's room only to find it locked. He blinked, trying to remember if he'd ever encountered her room locked before. He tried the handle once more before realizing it really was locked and then huffed with annoyance.

"Shinpi, it's me. I need to speak to you."

Nothing. Not even the sound of uncertain, shuffling feet. Was she asleep? He knocked loudly, wondering how angry she'd be if he just broke the lock.

"Shinpi, enough. Open the door."

"She's not in there." Kurama informed him, this thumb acting as a bookmark. Hiei turned to face him, confused. He'd forgotten the fox was even downstairs reading. "She didn't tell you? She said she was leaving for the night. She'll be back tomorrow evening."

"Why?" Hiei demanded, frustrated. She'd left? When? Why hadn't she told him? They hadn't even actually spoken since his arrival and now she was gone?

"She didn't say."

"Then I'll go to the temple."

"She's not there either. I asked if she would be, so we could reach her if needed but she said not to bother. She's out of town." Kurama ran his fingers through his bangs, sighing. "I'm sorry, Hiei. I thought for sure she'd have told you."

"It's fine. It can wait until tomorrow." He shoved his hands in his pockets, a thin chain gave him something to toy with. "In case she's in one of her moods, tell me when she arrives."

"Are you two fighting?" Kurama pried curiously, the glint in the eye telling Hiei something more was play. "You left so abruptly and she was upset for a while after she woke up."

"No, we're not fighting. I just had something I needed to do." Hiei rolled his eyes.

"Oh good, I was worried that you were upset with her." Kurama lied, knowing full well that Shinpi herself had been convinced that Hiei had left for that reason alone.

"I'm glad Shinpi doesn't share your penchant for anxiety." Hiei started to walk away. "When she gets back I'll ask her what her problem is with Runa."

Kurama blinked after him, his mouth falling open and then closing slowly. He stared for longer than he meant to. The women often lamented that men were clueless. Even Genkai had offered that revelation once or twice. He just, he hadn't expected it to be so glaringly true in Hiei's case. One would think a psychic would be able to read the room a little better.

"He's a mess." He finally muttered to herself and went back down the stairs to lounge in the living room.

* * *

Shinpi didn't smile when Matsuma walked into Koenma's office. She also didn't stand, or look at him. In fact, the only indication that she was aware of his presence was the slight stiffening of her shoulders. He cast her a glare then redirected his attention toward Koenma himself.

She'd been considering this for a while. Now seemed an appropriate time to act on this plan. It would give her something to focus on that wasn't Hiei or his _guest_. The thought of the woman curled Shinpi's fingers into her palm tightly.

"Yes sir?"

"I have a request."

Matsuma turned slowly toward Shinpi, blinking at the sound of her voice. She met his gaze with her own.

"I do not answer to you." He told her darkly.

"I think you'll reconsider when you hear what the request is." She offered him an empty smile. "I've been discussing this with Koenma and you're the man for the job."

"No."

"I can't ask anyone else."

"Not my problem."

"I need you to assist me in overcoming my fear of electricity." Shinpi ignored him. "Through a rather extreme version of exposure therapy."

That made him sneer, turning back to Koenma. "What does she mean?"

Koenma frowned. He wasn't sold on this idea. That much was clear from his dark, pained expression. "Amon-Shinpi is requesting your help in seasoning her for a powerful opponent."

Matsuma glanced toward Shinpi then back to Koenma.

"The idea came to me when I was being tortured." Shinpi spoke for the prince, her tone easy. "Like a bolt of lightning, so to speak. I gave up because I knew what pain was coming. I was consumed with panic at the thought of it. I need you to help me overcome such weakness."

Koenma's frown deepened.

Shinpi turned to Matsuma and her head tilted to the side, her eyes fixed on the SDF member.

"Have you ever heard of electro-shock therapy, Matsuma?"

* * *

"I don't like this." Yukina kept her voice low, her cool palms pressed to Shinpi's bare back as the dark haired sat cross legged on her bed at the temple. It was late, the temple grounds were quiet.

Shinpi kept her eyes on the wall so Yukina could do her work.

"Look what you've done to yourself." Yukina went on, her jaw tense as she stopped her healing to trace the marks stretching over Shinpi's skin. Like a tattoo made of lightning. Then she went back to healing.

"It's necessary." Shinpi spoke softly. "Don't worry so much, Yukina."

"If we don't worry about you who will? It's obvious you won't worry about yourself." She chastised and Shinpi sighed.

"It's necessary." She repeated.

"You're hurting yourself."

"I can take the pain. I have to. I'll receive worse."

Yukina pulled her hands away and then threw her arms around Shinpi from behind, clasping her hands over her elbows around Shinpi's naked waist and burying her face into the other woman's shoulder. Her tear stones were cold where they rolled down Shinpi's back.

"I'm not worth the tears, Yukina."

"You thinking that is why I cry." She sobbed.

Struggling to hide her own turmoil, Shinpi could only barely speak. She put her hands over Yukina's arms, squeezing gently. In a broken voice she said the only thing she could muster.

"It's necessary."

* * *

"Why didn't you come back?" Hiei demanded, glaring at Shinpi as he marched into the training room at the temple, Runa lingering near the door. "I want to talk to you."

"You are not the axis on which my world spins." Shinpi wiped sweat from her face and shot him a reproachful look. "Get over yourself."

"Oh shut up." Hiei griped. "What are you doing here? Kurama said you were out of town."

"I was."

"Shinpi, what is going on with you?"

Her back tensed, her eyes narrowing. Then she shifted her attention to Runa who seemed entirely unbothered by the drop of her name. Her nostrils flared again.

"In mixed company, you use my other name." Shinpi growled the words at him. "You should know that by now, Hiei."

"Runa isn't mixed company. She's an ally."

"She's your ally, not mine. Do not get confused."

"My word isn't good enough for you?"

"Oh the way my word about Hayato totally convinced you from the get go?"

"It's not the same."

"It never is with you."

They glared at each other and then Shinpi huffed.

"Let me see your strength, little one." Shinpi turned to Runa. "Come spar with me."

Runa hesitated, looking to Hiei who nodded once. She still didn't move. "I'm here to train with Lord Hiei."

"And he's here to train with me. Let's cut out the middle man." Shinpi walked to the center of the room and gestured for the girl to follow her.

It was a quick sparring match and it left Runa on the ground, sweating, and cursing her own poor reflexes. Shinpi extended a hand to her with a smile and pulled her to her feet. It was a warm expression, the first she'd offered the blonde.

"There, now you're all warmed up for _Lord_ Hiei." Shinpi patted the girl on the shoulder and started to walk from the room. Hiei watched her go.

"We're going to talk." He told her as she went toward the door.

"Maybe I have nothing to say." She tossed back.

"You always have something to say."

Shinpi chuckled darkly at that and then glanced toward him, but the expression wasn't exactly brimming with friendliness.

"Enjoy your training session."

Then the door closed behind her.

Runa probably didn't deserve the way he came at her after that. He was frustrated with Shinpi and the situation all around so he showed less restraint that he could-should-have. And in the end it didn't even satisfy him. Runa was soft, weak. She wasn't a challenge. He could practically toss her around like a ragdoll.

Shinpi was nowhere to be found after either, so he was stuck stewing in his own frustration without an outlet.

* * *

"I don't see the big deal." Runa picked her way through the forest outside the temple. "This forest isn't even as menacing as the ones at home."

"Oh really?"

The voice made her stop, glancing at the shadows. Many pairs of eyes peered at her, glinting above

Jagged rows of teeth. Twigs snapped under her feel as she stepped back, prepared to run.

She hadn't even sensed all these apparitions.

This was a mistake. Mukuro should have chosen someone with more experience. Runa swallowed and raised her fists.

"Oh yes, fight. It makes your blood that much sweeter." One of the demons staggered forward and then lunged.

Runa flinched, preparing to be struck. Instead she felt herself yanked back by her shirt. The smell of decaying leaves and the crunch of them under weight opened her eyes.

"Tch." Shinpi glared down at her, blue eyes cold. Then she shifted her attention toward the apparitions. She blurred into movement, so fast it left Runa a little breathless.

Runa stared in awe at the way Shinpi moved. The other woman seemed to manifest from nothing before she lurched forward into motion. She spun around her enemies with a deft profiency that left the other a little concerned. When one of the demons managed to knock a single blue blade from Shinpi's hand, the woman grinned maliciously and jerked on a thin wire, sending the knife through the air once more. The wind picked up, swirling around Shinpi and the blade cut through the demon's throat as if on its own.

When Shinpi turned to assess Runa, it with a cold expression, her eyes offering a strange sheen in the low light. Runa swallowed, tucking her chin down and moved back on her hands and feet to keep some space between them when the other woman took a step in her direction.

"What's the matter, little one?" Shinpi asked softly but not warmly. Definitely not warmly. "Have you already figured out that I know what you are?"

Runa grew still, her eyes widening, because Shinpi's fingers were cradling her face with the gentlest of pressures. And yet, sirens screamed in her that she needed to push the other woman away. Letting her this close was a mistake. A deadly mistake. Runa shook, caught between her orders and self-preservation.

"Mukuro should have known better than to send an untrained pup into my territory." Shinpi breathed the words, her dark blue eyes glued to Runa's face.

She looked nothing like the friendly woman who had sparred with Runa in the temple. She did not resemble the woman who cooked with Yukina or snarked with Hiei. No.

Runa was caught in the hands of a predator far more powerful than herself.

"Your little spy games will cost Hiei his life if you continue to pretend to be useless, little one." Shinpi applied just a hint more pressure with her fingertips, under the hinge of Runa's jaw and along her neck. "If that happens, there will be no one to keep me from taking my anger out on you. If you value your kingdom or your life, you'll find yourself rapidly improving in your combat abilities."

"I-I don't have combat training." Runa's voice wavered when she spoke. "That's why I was chosen. Because I wouldn't be threatening. If another had been picked the general may have-"

"I don't recall asking for a thin excuse, little one. You will improve." Shinpi assured her darkly and then her touch slipped away as the woman herself pulled back. "I will not have Mukuro's paranoia endangering someone I care about."

Shinpi smiled and it made Runa shiver.

"Game face, pup. You're on." Shinpi put her hands on her hips and turned toward the sound of boots crunching over leaves. Hiei walked into the thicket they'd found themselves in with a sour look on his face. He assessed the demon on the ground, then Shinpi, then Runa who still trembled.

"Useless." Hiei muttered, quickly looking way from Runa. "What happened, Shinpi?"

"You're a bad teacher." She accused readily, folding her arms over her chest. "This little thing was easily overtaken. What exactly have you been doing with her?"

"You're free to join our sessions."

"I have no desire to do your work for none of the benefit, Hiei."

Hiei looked ready to go to sleep, he was so done with the woman before him. "Complaints and no solutions. That isn't like you, Shinpi."

"I suppose that means you don't know me all that well." She looked away from him as she pointedly began to walk deeper into the forest. After a few steps she stopped. "You're a tapestry of experience, Hiei. Make use of that."

Then she was gone.

"That woman is a pain in my ass." Hiei complained, shooting a glare toward Runa. "I know that look. She threatened you, didn't she?"

"I'm conflicted on how to answer that." Runa admitted with a wince. "Honestly, there wasn't so much threatening as there was her commanding me to improve my fighting. But it felt like a threat. But also, she was very gentle? That woman is terrifying, general."

He smirked then, and cast a pleased glance the way Shinpi had gone. "When she chooses to be. Why did she confront you?"

"She doesn't want my ineptitude to get you hurt." Runa felt that was the most honest she could be without giving away her true job to her commander. "She must care very deeply for you."

"She must." Hiei agreed and shoved his hands into his pockets, closing his eyes. "Alright, Runa, let's see what we can do to pull you out of Shinpi's ire."

"Thank you, sir. I'd appreciate that."


	41. Xanthippe

**A/N: Here's a fun fact. I've been dying to write out these encounters with Runa and Shinpi for so long. I've had them drafted for like three months. Getting to write bitchy Shinpi is actually pretty fun even if it doesn't paint her in the best light. Eventually her and Hiei** _ **will**_ **talk about what's actually going on.**

 **But she's a stubborn git and he's a little clueless so it may take a little bit. Haha**

 **Thank you all for your kind words last chapter and for reading! If you're interested in a light hearted story of mine, I updated Southern Charm earlier this week. I have a few more chapters already drafted for it that just need to be fleshed out. I'm also working on the last few chapters to The Dragon's Keep (M rated for adult content).**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

 **(By the way, Xanthippe means ill-tempered woman, which seems fitting)**

* * *

The kitchen was quiet in the wake of Hiei's statement. Shinpi, who had been pointedly fixating on a book, slowly lifted her head to meet his probing stare with blue eyes that promised pain and worse things if he didn't watch himself. Hiei didn't relent though.

"I think I misheard you." Shinpi folded her hands on the table after carefully closing her book. "Do you mind repeating yourself Hiei?"

"I said, that maybe Hayato had a point. Living in human world has softened you. Tantrums like the one you're throwing wouldn't get you far in Demon World."

A dark eyebrow arched high on her forehead as Shinpi studied him. Then she tipped her head to the side.

"I'll take that into consideration." Shinpi rose to her feet, looking away from him.

"Where are you going?" He demanded, watching her prepare to flee.

"Elsewhere." The response came cool and brisk.

"Don't forget we are supposed to spar together." He warned her with a glare. "Your temper isn't an excuse for breaking an arrangement."

"Whatever you say." She waved over her shoulder and then left the kitchen.

Kurama was the one who cleared his throat first, casting Hiei a disparaging glare. "Must you provoke her?"

"Hn. I didn't say anything that wasn't true." Hiei argued going back to his food despite the heavy tension filling the room. Runa shifted in her seat beside him. "Stop fidgeting, it makes you look weak."

She looked at him then stilled herself, eating slowly.

"I'd like to watch you two spar, if I may." She requested quietly, eyes on her plate. "I imagine against one another neither of you holds back much."

"I don't care what you do as long as you're not in my way." Hiei finished his food and then reached over and pushed Runa's plate away from her just as she went to grab another bite. "Eat faster if you want to finish. It's time to work."

Kurama, Yukina and Genkai all watched Hiei usher the small woman from the room and then they exchanged a knowing, silent look before sharing in a collective burdened sigh.

* * *

Hiei stood in Shinpi's room perplexed. Where the hell had that woman gotten off too? She wasn't in the reading room, she wasn't in the kitchen, she wasn't in the training hall. Just as he went to use the Jagan to find her, marching back into the hallway, she appeared barefoot and wrapped in her robe with her hair piled messily atop her head in a bun.

"Where were you?" Hiei demanded. "It's time to train."

"Oh, I'm done training for the day." Shinpi responded breezily as she passed him.

"What?" Hiei spun and followed her. "We haven't sparred yet. You can't be done for the day."

"You've sparred plenty." She let the bitterness in her voice show, keeping her back to him as she entered her room and headed for her closet. "And so did I. It just happened not to be together."

"Tch." Hiei huffed. "Who the hell could you possibly have fought with to your satisfaction?"

"Kurama." Shinpi selected an outfit from the closet, a skirt and top. Simple, comfortable, casual but cute. She felt Hiei's annoyance even though he remained fixed by her door. "Could you close that? I'm about to get dressed."

Hiei knew she meant for him to leave but he didn't. He kicked the door shut harshly without turning away from her.

"What do you mean Kurama?" The words came out in a warning growl.

"While you were playing with your puppy Kurama and I trained together. Kazuma was there too and he is definitely improving, but I had forgotten what a worthy opponent the fox could be. We'll be training together again tomorrow." Shinpi laid her clothes out on the bed and went to her dresser to get her under garments.

"This is a joke." Hiei tensed.

"I assure you, it isn't." She pulled out her panties and slid them on under her robe then turned her back on Hiei to drop the covering to the floor and put on her bra. "You seemed thoroughly preoccupied and I didn't want to interrupt you, but I also needed to get my day started. What's the problem?"

"The problem is we were supposed to spar together today." He snapped at her, watching as she turned around and picked up the skirt. "If you wanted to work it in earlier you should have told me."

"We agreed on a morning session. You were the one who got preoccupied." Shinpi zipped up the side of the skirt and reached for her shirt. "If you still have energy to burn why not go back to training with Runa? I'm busy now anyway."

"Busy?" Hiei glared at her. "What are you doing?"

"It doesn't involve you." She grabbed her shirt and tugged it one over her head before turning to the mirror and letting her hair down to brush it out.

"You've been acting strange." He accused and that earned him a cold side-eye.

"Have I?" Shinpi asked emptily.

"For days now. You've been tense. You haven't said my name at all during this whole conversation and normally you would have." He walked toward her and felt her aura flicker in warning. He came to a stop. "What's your fucking problem? I don't know what this is, but cut it out. It's annoying."

"Annoying." She muttered the word darkly. "What do I care if you think I'm annoying?"

Something lay underneath her words that he couldn't place. A shiver in her tone, almost as if daring him to do something. Hiei eyed her, trying to puzzle out what her problem was. Then it clicked together for him and he blinked at her.

"Shinpi are you," he paused, licking his lips in uncertainty, "are you jealous of the time I'm spending with Runa?"

It was the wrong thing to say, that much was immediately when she stiffened and shot him the coldest glare he'd ever received.

" _Jealous?_ You put too much value on yourself and the time we spend together. I'm _annoyed_ because you forgot we had an _arrangement_. But that's fine. Because I'm voiding it out. I don't have time to sit around all damn day waiting for you to finish your business. Since you don't value my time, don't even bother with it. Kurama has already agreed to spar with me for a while, so take your _wrong_ notions and go back to training that child." Shinpi spoke in clipped, cold words, her irritation clear in the set of her mouth.

Hiei raised his eyebrows and then rolled his eyes, his head moving to the side with the motion. "Oh yes, you sound completely reserved about the whole affair."

She hit him so hard he flew through her closed door and landed in the hall as Genkai's feet. The old woman looked through the splintering wood at the demoness with a dull expression.

"I'll fix it." Shinpi snapped at her, stomping out of her room and away from the fire demon.

"What did you do?" Genkai looked down at Hiei as he gingerly sat up, his crimson eyes glued to Shinpi's retreating back.

"I asked her if she was jealous of Runa." Hiei rubbed his sore neck.

Genkai just sighed heavily, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

Hiei shot her a withering glare as he rose to his feet, fists at his side. He went to follow the hall Shinpi had run away down but stopped when Genkai tisked beside him.

"She'll eat you alive." Genkai warned him. "You don't know much about women, do you?"

"I work for a woman. I'm surrounded by them all damn day here." Hiei pointed out. "I know plenty."

"A man can live his life around all manner of things without truly understanding them." She retorted.

"I don't have time for your inane riddles today, old woman." He growled, his anger growing around him. "Shinpi has no reason to be angry. I'm doing my job. If she can't handle that then-"

"This isn't about your job." Genkai raised an eyebrow and Hiei slammed his mouth shut. "You know her better than that, Hiei."

He stalked away without responding.

* * *

Hiei had said he didn't care what she did as long as she wasn't in his way, and this was about as far from his way as she could get. The field was a hike from the temple, offering a clear view of the mountains and a safe empty area in which to cut loose.

That's where Runa found Shinpi. The woman had her dark hair tied up on the back of her head, the long strands trailing from the ponytail in an inky river that caught on the wind. Without turning to acknowledge Runa, she held her nocked arrow steady and released it to cut through the air. Despite the winds it landed true to its aim, imbedding in the red circle drawn onto the chest of the target. The makeshift mannequin was sewn together from burlap and what appeared to be straw. There were several of them in the clearing, many with arrows already jutting from their faceless heads and potato sack chests.

The wind picked up and Shinpi plucked another arrow from the quiver on her hip. Her skirt billowed up around her legs, revealing a set of kunai strapped to her bare thigh.

This arrow found it's home too, splitting through the first to land in the center of that red circle meant to represent a creature's core.

"You're a long way from your master, little one." Shinpi spoke with a cool voice not bothering to look at the girl who intruded on her practice. "Does he know you've wandered away?"

"Lord Hiei made it clear that as long as I'm not bothering him I can do as I want." Runa verbalized.

"And do you want to die? Because that is what will happen if you continue to wander so heedlessly." Shinpi turned then, her dark blue eyes narrowed and her lips twisted into a snarl. "You are not nearly strong enough to get away with being glib, little one. Go back to the temple where you'll be less of a nuisance."

"I didn't get to see you and Lord Hiei spar. I wanted to see you in action." Runa argued, shifting her weight slightly. Hiei's admonishment from breakfast came back to her and she stilled the movement. "Lord Mukuro made me read all about you, Amon-Shinpi."

The air itself changed. It grew bitter and cold, almost as though a frost were going to form. The natural chill that had been hanging around bit down into the blonde's bones. The sky darkened in a reflection of Shinpi's glare.

"No one gave you permission to address me by name." She growled, stalking a step toward the other girl. "I don't care what stories you were told, or what orders you were given. I made it clear to you that your very existence is a frustration to me. Your hapless quest is going to get you into trouble. And if you're in trouble, Hiei will try to help you. If he gets hurt rescuing you from your own stupidity I will demonstrate to you _and_ Mukuro just how poor of a decision sending you here was."

"I," Rena panted, trembling slightly from the pressure of Shinpi's aura so completely daunting her own. Those cold blue eyes pinned her in place, stopping her lungs as surely as a hand in her chest, "I never knew our kind could be so strong."

Shinpi's eyes narrowed. "Our kind?"

"Wolf demons." Rena explained in a small voice before swallowing. "I didn't grow up with a pack. I never knew. And you're so…you're so strong. I didn't know that was a possibility. My entire life I've been treated like an animal. I've been told I will always be weak. But you're not weak. I want to be strong like you."

"Then be strong." Shinpi told her before turning on heel and walking away. "That's your choice, no one else's little one. Strength isn't going to be handed to you and you don't need permission or a blessing to get it. I have worked for every ounce of it that I have. I expect you to do the same."

Runa watched Shinpi stalk toward the stuffed targets and rip out the arrows unceremoniously.

"Do you know how to shoot?" Shinpi turned to glare at Runa just as the other woman went to retreat.

"I'm familiar with the concept." Runa nodded. "I've never taken much interest in archery."

Shinpi shoved the bow into her hands, appearing so quickly in front of her that Runa stumbled back in shock. Holding an arrow out to her, Shinpi demanded a demonstration. When the arrow struck the leg of the closet of the targets, she sighed heavily.

"Can't fight. Can't shoot. What can you do?" Shinpi demanded dully. Runa went to open her mouth and was cut off by a raised hand. "It was rhetorical. I don't actually care. But if you don't want me to kill you know and call it a training accident, you'll keep trying."

"Trying?" Runa frowned.

"To hit the target." Shinpi nodded to the dummy. "Nock another arrow and try again. We aren't leaving until I'm satisfied."

"It's alright. I don't need to know-" Runa went to hand the bow back and found herself caught in Shinpi's cold stare until she complied. "Maybe a few more tries. If it weren't for the wind I'd have an easier time."

"It didn't stop me." Shinpi pointed out with a smirk.

They continued practicing until it was nearly dark. By the end of the session Runa had managed to land two arrows home. Shinpi had left her a few hours before, taking a second bow and only a handful of arrows with her. Even though she'd left, her instructions were clear. Runa wasn't to go back to the temple until she'd hit the red target.

"What happened to your hands?" Hiei demanded, looking at the bloody blisters on Runa's fingertips. There was a welt on the side of her face from where she'd held the bow inappropriately in her haste to just be done. Her arms ached.

"Amon-Shinpi was showing me how to use a bow." She responded and winced when he examined her wounds.

"She was with _you_?" Hiei glowered them and the heat of his touch grew too much so she jerked back, startled. Those crimson eyes were none too friendly in that moment. "Where is she now?"

"I'm not sure. She left me a while ago." Runa shrugged.

"Then why didn't you return?"

"She told me not to until I hit the target." Runa frowned at him. "It's difficult to argue with her."

"Find a way." Hiei snapped. "She's not in charge of you and she's made it clear she doesn't want to be."

"It's not so simple." Runa shook her head. "When she gives me an order I feel-"

"I don't care how you feel." Hiei growled angrily.

"That's no way to treat your puppy." Shinpi's voice interrupted them and Hiei turned to her with a snarl.

"Puppy?" Hiei stared at her. "Why do you keep calling her that?"

"Do you not know?" Shinpi smiled at him then and it wasn't at all meant to be comforting. "She's a wolf demon, darling. A young one, but a wolf demon none the less. Perhaps Mukuro thought you had a type."

Hiei turned back to Runa whose face had turned beet red. "A wolf demon?"

"And as such, she knows an alpha when she sees one." Shinpi walked toward the kitchen with an abundance of fish spiked on an arrow. "Did you hit the circle, little one?"

"Twice." Runa nodded once.

"Good. Tomorrow you'll hit it four. After your training with your master." Shinpi pulled a fish off the arrow and set it on a wooden chop block laid on the counter. Grabbing a cleaver, she cleanly sliced off the head.

"I've never seen you work with fresh caught fish before." Hiei stared as she began to filet the animal.

"I've never wanted to decapitate something this badly before." Shinpi smiled at him then grabbed a second fish and repeated her process, holding eye contact with the fire demon.

Then she grabbed a third, not even bothering to filet the second before moving on. The repeated thud of the cleaver biting into the wood through the soft meat of the fish made Runa jump. Hiei merely stared at her, then looked down at the fish and the blood on the wooden block. Shinpi raised the knife again and went after a fourth, then fifth fish.

"I hope you're hungry." Her smile for him showed too much teeth. "Depending how I feel tomorrow I was considering hunting something bigger."

Hiei swallowed and then glanced at Runa. Then back to Shinpi. "I'll leave you to it then."

* * *

"Smells good." Hiei stretched as he wandered into the kitchen, drawn from his morning solo training by the scent of food. He looked around and blinked, then glanced to Shinpi where she sat drinking her coffee alone at the table.

"It was." She assured him without looking toward him, reading another book. How did she find time to go through so many books? She was always reading something new.

"Where's breakfast?" He demanded, once again looking around the kitchen. The dishes were washed, and the smell was lingering but there was no food to be found.

Shinpi always made him breakfast if she was the one cooking. She had since the first night he'd spent at her house nearly a year before.

He frowned.

"Oh, well, I decided you were right." Shinpi flashed him a smile that meant nothing good for him, he was sure.

"About?" Hiei narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It's been a long time since I've lived in Demon World. Maybe I am softer. I just don't get it anymore. And you certainly have never once _asked_ me to provide you with food, or shelter, or hell even my company really. You seem so independent, Hiei. I'd hate to impose on that." The smile stayed even as her tone lost its false warmth. "So, to make sure I'm not _softening_ you the way I have myself I've decided to stop all that nonsense. No more doing your laundry. No more cooking your food. No more burdening you with all my silly human comforts."

Hiei stared at her, watching her drink her coffee and then he inhaled slowly.

"Shinpi." He spoke her name carefully. "Tell me why you're angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you, Hiei." She offered him a frown of concern. "I'm trying to accommodate your needs, like I've always done. You've made it pretty clear your tastes are more demonic than what I've been offering."

He glared at her. Then he shifted as her eyes moved over his shoulder to Runa as the woman appeared in the doorway, hair wild from sleep. Shinpi's gaze turned to ice and Hiei felt his own blood run cold when her attention settled back on him.

"I'm just trying to make you feel at home." Shinpi's tone hadn't changed, it wasn't any sharper or colder than it had been.

So why had her words sent a chill down his spine?


	42. Bitter Tea

**A/N: Holy hell. I'm alive! Sorry for the super long delays. My laptop is slowly dying on me, the screen is blanking out and now the keyboard is going too. I'm really upset. It's meaning I can't do many things without significant rigging and jiggling and maneuvering involved. On that front, I set up a kofi (there's a post on my tumblr if you're interested).**

 **Thank you guys so much for reading and continuing to read despite the update shitshow this year has turned out to be so far. I'm working on solutions, I promise! Also big thanks to Roseeyes for hitting me up to make sure I was okay after my prolonged, unannounced absence. I appreciate it so much.**

 **Anyway, have chapter 42 (** _ **finally**_ **).**

* * *

"Again."

Shinpi paced around Kuwabara with measured steps, her squinted eyes fixed on his form. He nodded sharply and continued going through the katas again. Sweat dripped his temple then the line of his jaw, but he didn't wipe it away. It would have broken his form.

And at this point, Shinpi had drilled that habit out of him through force.

"How many times are you going to make him run through those poses?" Yusuke dug his pinky in his ear, then flicked a ball of wax onto the floor after studying it with a wrinkled nose.

"As many times as it takes." She responded, barely sparing him a glance. "He's only been able to make these massive improvements because of the dedication he's shown."

"Looks boring."

"Good. That means it's becoming second nature." Shinpi smiled. "Perfect. Take a break Kazuma."

He held the last of the forms for a second then deflated and began to pant. "Oh man, my arms feel so heavy."

"Weights will do that." She grinned. "I'm wearing them too."

With a wave of her hand she demonstrated the presence of the weights on her ankles and wrists. She'd started making Kuwabara wear them too when they practiced. During runs. Sparring. Katas. Even through their slow warm ups of stretches and Tai Chi. He could take them off otherwise.

She didn't give herself the same luxury.

"So, where did you run off to the other day?"

Shinpi turned to Yusuke with a considering glance and no smile. Then she shifted her attention away from him. All that careful sneaking. She'd assumed no one had noticed her slipping away. Having so many people at the temple was proving more annoying than she'd originally assumed it would.

"I had something to do." She responded breezily.

"Yeah, that so?" Yusuke pegged her with a raised eyebrow.

"Mhmm." Shinpi tilted her head away. Then she noticed Hiei and Runa coming into the training room and once again she moved to avoid looking at them.

Hiei stared at her, but she ignored him.

"Are you still training?" He asked without any inflection.

"Kazuma is done for the day." She explained.

"Did you want to spar then?"

"Come on Kazuma, let's get you fed." Shinpi guided her pupil from the room with a hand on his back. Yusuke and Hiei both watched her go.

"So, you two still fighting then?" Yusuke asked after Shinpi left.

"Fighting isn't the right word." Hiei frowned. "We are at odds. I'm not sure why."

"It's been like, three weeks."

"I'm more than aware of the time that's passed." Hiei grumped, arms crossed over his chest. "She's been steadily avoiding me. No matter when I try to corner her to force her to speak to me, she managed to evade me."

"She's not a rabbit your hunting or some shit." The detective pointed out dryly. "Maybe just try, I don't know, being friendly?"

"It won't work."

"You're both pains in my ass, you know that?" Yusuke complained. "For fuck's sake, just _talk to each other._ "

"It's not me you need to convince." Hiei growled at him while Runa stretched. "The last time I tried to talk to the damn woman she punched me through a door."

Yusuke threw his hands in the air. "Fine. You know what. I'm done."

"Finally." Hiei muttered.

"I heard that."

"I wasn't trying to be discreet."

* * *

Yukina smiled gently as she brought a tray of tea and snacks into the reading room. Shinpi lifted her attention from the book she was reading to greet her with a small smile.

"You spoil me, Yukina." She chuckled. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure. I enjoy taking care of the people who matter to me." Yukina smiled in return and offered a cup to the woman who had folded herself into one of the armchairs. Shinpi accepted the cup and sipped, not catching the way Yukina's eyes flashed her smile tightened.

Shinpi sputtered, trying to cover the reaction but unable to totally keep her face from puckering around the bitter taste of the tea.

"Oh my, is it bitter?" Yukina continued to smile, now with a pointedly saccharine expression, head tipped to the side with faux innocence.

Shinpi swallowed. Had the room just grown colder or was it her imagination?

"I'm sure a little honey will help." Shinpi allowed, cautious.

"I didn't bring any."

She swallowed again, eying the koorime. "Are you alright, Yukina?"

"Try a cookie." Yukina offered her the plate and Shinpi accepted one of the treats.

The room had definitely grown colder. The hair on her arms and nape rose. Shinpi bit into the cookie anyway, only to be filled with immediate regret.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I think you used salt instead of sugar." Shinpi was barely able to swallow the unsavory bite she'd taken. She chugged the bitter tea just to wash the salt from her mouth. Then she made another face as Yukina refilled her cup with the pot.

"I must have gotten confused. There are just so many bitter, tasteless things in this temple all of the sudden." Yukina forged on with her particular brand of warfare. "Perhaps if I had slowed down and paid more attention to the details, and tried to better understand the recipe I wouldn't have used salt. And maybe, if I hadn't allowed it to steep for so long unnecessarily, the tea wouldn't be so bitter."

"I know what point you're making." Shinpi frowned. "It's not the same."

"Is that so?" Yukina beamed then and for the first time Shinpi felt a mild sense of malice coming from her. "Enjoy your tea, Hichi."

She left the pot behind and the room about ten degrees colder than it was meant to be. Shinpi stared at the door after it closed and wondered if maybe she should give up this fight. Everyone seemed against her at this point. Perhaps that meant she was the one in the wrong.

But how could she just forgive him?

He'd left.

Her sense of anger and frustration renewed and she drank the tea. By the time the pot was empty she'd grown fairly accustomed to the taste.

The bitterness didn't really bother her palette anymore.

* * *

Hiei glanced at the empty chair at the table as everyone one ate their dinner. No one commented on Shinpi's absence. He frowned.

Why were they all protecting her from him? His entire team had turned against him and formed a protective ring around the woman. Had something happened while he was away?

He barely ate, too busy wondering where Shinpi was, what she was doing and why she couldn't do it with him. Abruptly, he pushed from the table and marched from the room. Runa rose to follow him.

"Finish eating." Hiei grumbled at her. "I want to be alone."

She sat back down and turned to her food with some confusion.

"It's not you." Yusuke told her, pointing at her with his chopsticks once he was sure Hiei was out of earshot. "Those two are fighting and he always gets pissy when they fight."

"What are they fighting about?" Runa asked, genuinely curious.

The entire room shifted, shooting glances around the table. Finally, Yukina answered her in a curt yet polite tone that displayed her own annoyance with the whole affair.

"It doesn't matter why they are fighting. What matters is that they are not making up."

* * *

Hiei watched as Shinpi wielded her wooden sword with a rage he didn't normally get to see from her. Her movements were still precise, but the force behind them was too much. If she were in a real fight she'd slaughter her enemies brutally. He almost felt bad for whoever was battling her in her head.

Though, to be honest from the quick way she moved, he didn't have to guess too hard to know who it might be.

After a few minutes she stopped, her back to him, shoulders visibly tight. "I thought you were eating."

"I didn't care much for the company."

That only put her more on edge, he watched her hand tighten around the wooden hilt, her knuckles growing white.

"Would you like to do more than fight with shadows?" Hiei asked her.

"Why are you doing this?"

Hiei stared at her, confusing sweeping over him once again. It felt like it was his constant state of being these days whenever Shinpi was around. Her voice sounded so cold, so empty.

So unlike the fire he knew lived inside her.

"Do us both a favor and just stop." She kept her back to him.

Hiei walked toward and every stop closer he got only seemed to fuel her defensiveness. This was the most she'd spoken to him since before he'd left. Nearly a month had passed since he'd returned with little more than the exchange of a handful of sentences.

"Shinpi, we need to talk." He reached for her, surprised by his sudden need to just _touch her_.

"No we don't." Shinpi whirled around, all teeth and spite. "Back the fuck off me!"

An unusual degradation in her vernacular, Hiei decided. But she wasn't actually angry, not at him anyway. Herself, maybe.

"Why are you even here? Don't you have better places to be?" She demanded, stomping up to him. Her fury washed over him, and immediately he knew it for the ploy it was.

"No." It came easily, the single syllable.

"I don't want you here." She seethed at him, clutching at the edge of her anger because it was easier than admitting how terrified she was. Terrified of losing Hiei. Terrified of not wanting to. Terrified that he seemed determined to stick around. "Get the hell away from me."

"No."

"It's not a choice." She growled, nearly pressing against him as she moved forward. She'd expected him to step back, but he didn't. Hiei remained steadfast. "Your unwanted, Jaganshi."

"What are you so scared of?" He questioned her quietly, but firmly, and she recoiled from him as if he'd struck her.

"I've given you more than enough answers for this lifetime." She sidestepped him. "Don't try to touch me again or I'll add your goddamn hand to my trophy case."

Hiei watched her go, knew her running for what it was, and considered her reaction.

Jaganshi.

The name she used when he was a stranger to her. How odd that she'd spout off with it now, when she had few secrets still hidden from him. The name stung. He hated that it had fallen so easily from her lips.

He hated the chill in his guts it caused even more.

* * *

Shinpi stopped walking, her eyes wide as she realized Hiei was in the middle of undressing for the bath. She hadn't seem in the three days following their encounter in the training room. She hated it. She hated that she hated it.

His hands fell away from the belts he was undoing, leaving his pants partially undone, as his eyes unabashedly took in the state of her bare skin.

"What are those?" Hiei couldn't tear his gaze away from the marks burned into her.

He'd seen those marks before. She knew he had. They were the same as when she'd been hooked up to that machine in the warehouse the team had come to rescue her from, only worse. There was no way he didn't already know the answer.

So she said nothing, instead pulling her towel tighter around herself in an attempt to cover the proof of her sessions with Matsuma.

"Shinpi. What are those marks?" Hiei's voice deepened, growing dangerous. He stalked toward her until he was invading her space.

When she went to push him back he captured her wrist and pinned it to the wall behind her, not bothering to feign gentleness. Her threat of claiming his hands as trophies meant nothing to him. He took the other wrist with the same hand, robbing her of the ability to hide from him. Never once did he move his attention away from the marks. His lips pulled back over his teeth and he began to seethe.

"Who did this to you?"

"Let me go."

"Answer me." He moved his eyes to her face, nothing in his expression capable of receiving argument.

For one of the first times, Shinpi actually understood why so many cowered from the man pinning her to the wall. The ferocity on his face, the sheer bloodlust in his eyes, it was startling. Part of her feared it too.

"Let me go." She repeated in a smaller voice. "Please, Hiei."

It was the first time she'd said his name in ages, and it struck him. This wasn't how he wanted to hear it again, a plea on her tongue. A plea against him.

"Fine. I'll find out on my own." He didn't bother with permission or pleasantries. There was no secret word. Only his fury and the Jagan allowing him to burn through her memories until he found one of Matsuma cranking the dial of a machine and Shinpi stifling her screams in response. As soon as he found the memory he dropped her, yanking away. Without bothering to grab his shirt he marched from the changing area of the bathroom.

Shinpi had to catch her breath before following him. His aura had weighed against hers with such vehement oppression it actually _hurt._ But only for a second. Long enough to give him a head start but not long enough to allow him to leave.

She cut him off in the hall beside the living room, whirling ahead of him and blocking his path.

"Move." Hiei demanded with narrowed eyes.

"You need to listen to me. What you saw-"

"He tortured you." Hiei went to walk around her but she stepped back into his way. "Shinpi, get out of my way. I'm going to rip that bastard's arms off for laying his hands on you."

"You won't." She shook her head, locking eyes with him. "Calm down. Listen to me."

" _Move woman_." Hiei bared his teeth at her.

"Hiei-"

"He used your greatest fear against you. I will not stand here and argue politics about this!" Hiei's voice raised with his palpable anger.

"I asked him to!" Shinpi yelled back, chest heaving.

Silence greeted her outburst. Silence and crimson eyes that held a heat that physically scalded her.

"You asked him to torture you." Hiei repeated, dark and cool. "Explain yourself."

"It's not torture. It's training. I needed someone who wouldn't kill me but wouldn't hesitate to continue just because I cried out in pain." She looked away from Hiei's face. "I don't need you interfering in this. Leave it alone."

"Get dressed."

"Excuse me?" Shinpi jerked her attention back to him.

Taking her eyes off the other demon was a mistake. Hiei was right in front or her and his bandaged fingers captured her chin without hesitation. He forced her to look at him.

"Get dressed. Meet me in the training room. I'm going to beat the sense back into you." Hiei seethed.

"Hiei-"

"You have five minutes. If you aren't there I will come get you and I won't care what state I find you in." He warned her, dropping his hold. "Time started twenty-seconds ago."

Shinpi stared at him, then parted her lips to argue. Something about his expression stilled her tongue. With a nod she started toward her room to as he demanded.

"Uh, Hiei?" Yusuke peeked his head out of the living room.

"Don't interfere. This conversation is long overdue. And it's private. I don't want you idiots lurking around." Hiei spun on heel and stalked toward the training area at the back of the temple. Every step echoed like a war drum.

Of all the stupid, bullshit, self-serving idea Shinpi had ever committed to this one had to top the list. She was going to back out of this arrangement. He would make her.

Yusuke watched him, frowned and looked over his shoulder toward Genkai and Kurama who both shook their heads. With an annoyed sigh he relented.

"Fine. But if he kills her, I'm blaming you two."


	43. Connected

**A/N: My new laptop should be here this weekend! Thank you to the people who donated to my kofi. I went with a refurbished model of ThinkPad. I trust Lenovo and I think it'll be a good fit for my needs. Plus it meant it was wayyy cheaper than getting it new.**

 **The opening scene of this was originally going to be wayyyy different. But last night I got hit with the inspiration for this resolution and I thought it was a better fit and showed the growth my two favorite idiots have gone through. I know this isn't when I normally post but I feel bad for missing like, three weeks. So here, have a bonus chapter!**

 **Oh, and if any of you are interested in learning more about Aishling check out chapter 19 of Frivolous and Necessary. It's all about the origination of the tree. It was my submission for YYHFanFiction's rare fic contest.**

* * *

Hiei sat in one of the chairs they'd drug into the training room what felt like ages before. He waited for Shinpi to show her sorry face. While she took her time he studied the necklace hanging from his hands with keen interest. The thin silver chain was something he would have never thought to get for himself. But for Shinpi, it seemed necessarily. More sturdy than leather. The wood hanging from the chain had been cut into a rectangle, the surface and edges smoothed by his hands. And hanging beside the wood was a seed trapped inside a wire encasement.

He'd been carrying it around with him ever since he'd visited Aishling, the pieces at least. He'd finished it before turning to this side of the planes.

It was his gift to Shinpi. A piece of the tree she loved so much. He wanted her to remember the resolution she felt when she thought of Aishling. He wanted her to plant her feet and fight on, standing strong and proud.

Suddenly, his anger died away. He was left with a different, uncomfortable feeling instead.

When the door opened he didn't look away from the necklace, his back to Shinpi as she entered. He didn't speak.

Mere minutes ago he had wanted nothing more than to break something. Someone. He had wanted to beat Shinpi until she came back to her senses. But that all felt…meaningless now.

"I don't understand." He offered the words without much inflection. "I don't understand why you're allowing yourself to be tortured. How can such a clever woman be such a fool?"

For a heartbeat she didn't answer him.

"Yukina said something similar." She admitted quietly and it made him glance toward as she walked around him. "Are we going to fight?"

"I'm done fighting you." Hiei told her, shifting his attention back to the pendant in his hands. "It never works anyway. You always just do what you want."

She stopped walking.

Still so far away from him. Double his arm's length. An intentional space she had chosen to remain from him.

"You wanted to fight before." She told him.

"I want a lot of things from you." He responded bitterly.

"And you've received all of them." She shot back, her tone turning cold. "Whether I wanted to give them or not."

"Hmph."

"What's that you're playing with?"

"A reminder."

"Of what?"

"Why are you so angry with me?" He changed the topic, raising his gaze to meet hers instead. "Ever since I got back you've avoided me. You've locked your door. You shut me out, Shinpi. Why?"

Her brow furrowed. "Do you really not get it?"

"I really don't."

"You're a selfish fool." She sneered then, rolling her eyes. "Why should you understand? Your actions are never held against you, are they? You get free reign to do whatever you want."

"You're one to talk."

"Why are you pouting anyway?" She demanded of him, not answering his question. "What does it matter to you? I thought for sure this would make it all easier for you."

"In what possible vein of your insanity does this make anything easier for me?" Hiei got to his feet abruptly. "I've been trying to talk to you-"

"You've been keeping up appearances." Shinpi glared at him.

But he saw her swallow. The way her lip quivered just slightly, for just a moment. She had tossed on workout clothes. Baggy sweats and a fitted tee, her hair thrown into a ponytail.

"I wish you'd just stop!" She shouted the words, closing her eyes as she dipped her chin down. "I wish you'd just be honest with me for once in your life! Just admit that you hate me, already so we can end this!"

He was in front of her in a blur, and she jerked her face up to stare at him. Hiei remained impassive as he looked into her eyes.

"I don't hate you."

"You're disgusted by me. I knew you would be! That's why I didn't want to show you!" She remained firm in this. "You left. You left me alone after demanding to see everything. I knew I shouldn't have shown you. I knew, I knew, I knew."

"Disgusted? By you?" Hiei tilted his head. "What utter nonsense."

Shinpi clenched her eyes closed, tightening her hands into fists.

"You left me all alone." She whispered, shaking. "You saw me for the monster I am and you left because of it."

Her eyes shot open as Hiei draped the necklace over her head. Her body grew rigid.

"You have no faith in me." Hiei muttered, staring at the wooden pendant and the seed as they lay against her chest over her shirt. "Trust me, Shinpi. Between the two of us you are not the monster."

Her eyes slowly moved down to stare at the necklace. "This wood…it feels…"

"I stole a piece when I visited Aishling. I thought it would help ground you." Hiei subconsciously touched the hiruseki stone laying against his chest. "I made it myself. It suits you."

"You made it?" Shinpi looked up at him, then back down to the necklace. Then, she jerked her face back up to his. "You saw Aishling?"

"I saw many things." Hiei shrugged. "I visited Sayol. I brought you back some clothes too but there hasn't been a good time to give them to you. You've been more obstinate than usual."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I think you just can't help it."

She nearly broke into a smile then. He saw it pull at her lips. "No, idiot. Why did you go to Sayol?"

"For you." Hiei rolled his eyes. "Why else? I wanted to see what it was like. I wanted to meet your people. Turns out they are Hiro's people now. Even if you wanted to be king I'm not sure they'd have you."

Her eyes grew glittery with tears as she stared at him, her lip back to quivering. "You went so far for me?"

"You can't face Hiro confused." Hiei told her firmly. "Not if you want to live. And you do want to live, don't you?"

Shinpi couldn't answer at first. Her tongue had gone dry as she stared at the man before her. Hiei hadn't bothered getting dressed. He remained barefoot and shirtless, her key and that blue stone hanging from his neck. Scars on his chest and stomach and arms. Proof of all the times he'd fought impossible odds and come out stronger.

"Why do you think I'm going all this with Matsuma?" She asked him finally. "It's not for fun, you know. Electricity doesn't exactly tickle. But I need to get stronger."

"There are better ways."

"Hiro controls lightning. I have to face it." She shook her head. "It's as much an exercise in building my fortitude as it is in exposure therapy."

"Mastuma doesn't care about therapy or fortitude. He just wants to hurt you." Hiei scowled then.

"I know. You should hear him. I think he gets off on it." She admitted with a sigh, pushing her fingers through her bangs. "But would you be able to crank the dial to eleven? Would Kurama or Yusuke or even Genkai?"

Hiei stared at her, his eyes narrowing.

"I chose Matsuma because he hates me. Because he won't stop but he won't kill me either." She dropped her hand. "Besides, Hiei, you weren't here. When you leave I have to make these choices alone."

"You could-"

"You don't answer your communicator." She leveled him with a look. "You never have. That's what the others have said. And I can't contact you any other way. I don't even know where you go when you leave. I assume it's Mukuro's, but it could be anywhere. It's unfair of you to demand a place in my life when you refuse to give me access to yours."

Hiei stiffened then, stepping back.

"I'll admit, Hiei, it hurts when you're gone. But I can manage that. It's necessary. You have a job to do." Shinpi shifted and looked down at the necklace again. "I know you care. I just wish you'd let me care too sometimes."

A flood of memories hit him. Of all the times Shinpi had doted on him and made it about herself. Holding him like something precious while he actively voiced his discontent with it. Running her fingers through his hair. Asking to kiss him and being so gentle. Healing him with soft touches and cooking for him. Caring for him. But always trying to make him think it was for her.

Because he would reject it otherwise.

Reject her otherwise.

"We're both pretty fucked up." Shinpi chuckled quietly. "Maybe, put together we'll be a half-way decent person. Functional, at least."

Hiei swallowed.

"Maybe, one day, you'll trust me to not run away." She looked at him with new resolve. "I hope you do, Hiei. Because I'd like to hear you story sometime. All of it. Even the parts that you think would disgust me. I want to share in your burdens the way you've shared in mine."

"It's not worth telling." Hiei countered thickly.

"That necklace begs to differ." She gestured to the stone. "I've seen those before. Maybe someday you'll let me hear how you got that one. I'll be there if you ever do decide to talk about it. I'll be there even if you don't want me to be."

"What a menace." Hiei walked toward her. "I've never met anyone who is as much a glutton for punishment as you are and I've known the other idiots for years."

He stopped in front of her, close enough to touch but not reaching for her. Not yet.

"The entire time I was away, I just wanted to come back to show you the things I'd seen." Hiei told her calmly. "I wanted to share them with you. It never once crossed my mind you'd feel that I abandoned you because I never occurred to me to do so."

"If roles were reversed-" She started.

"I'm not saying I don't understand. I'm saying that we're both idiots." Hiei hushed her. "I'm not used to being missed when I'm gone, Shinpi. I'm not used to wanting to come back. It feels unnatural to me."

Her brows pulled down slightly but she remained quiet so he could finish his thought.

"But," Hiei exhaled heavily, "change doesn't always feel natural. I will find a way to ensure you can contact me if you need me. And I will _try_ to inform you before I leave."

"Thank you." Shinpi smiled at him, that small warm smile that he didn't always get to see.

"In exchange, you need to stop with these foolish ideas about me hating you." He demanded. She chuckled and nodded. "And you need to stop punishing me by withholding things."

"Withholding?" She frowned. "What have I been keeping from you?"

Hiei gently traced the line of her arm from her wrist to her shoulder with his fingertips, even that slight contact feeling overwhelming for him after two months of separation. Shinpi remained still while he skimmed the side of her neck where he felt her pulse hammering away through her skin, and then the curve of her jaw before sliding his thumb over her bottom lip. He brushed his knuckles over her cheek and then ran his fingers through her hair until he palmed the back of her head and drug her to his mouth in a kiss that thawed the chill in guts.

This moment. This is what he'd been waiting for. What he'd been so desperately craving. He had thought any contact with Shinpi might satisfy the strange hunger he'd been developing, but this was the key. A fight would never have given him this, the way Shinpi melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck like she couldn't bear to let him go.

Hiei drug his hands down her form, appreciating the curve of her waist and the flair of hips as he refused to break the kiss. Then he grabbed the backs of her legs and hauled her upward until she wrapped her thighs around his waist. Their lips never parting. Stumbling, Hiei carried her to the fold out table and sat Shinpi it, his hands moving from legs to the skin of her side under her shirt. His thumb traced a scar there, one he didn't know she had, and he growled against her lips.

"Is that from Matsuma too?" He demanded breathlessly, his temper flaring.

Shinpi shook her head, refusing to release him. "Some idiot stabbed me in a fight a while back. It's nothing."

"Hn." Hiei went back to kissing her then moved his lips down her jaw and toward her neck, delighting in the way she craned her to give him more access. "Show me his face and I will end him."

"I took care of it." Shinpi didn't have the heart to tell him he was the idiot in question. It just didn't seem like the right moment to admit to that particular secret.

"Good." Hiei shifted forward, one knee coming up onto the table. It groaned under his additional weight but he ignored the protest.

"Hiei." Shinpi went to warn him as he crawled over her but didn't get the chance before the foldout table collapsed under them. His forehead bounced off of her chin, causing her to bite her lip as they hit the ground in tangled heap.

"Useless goddamn human inventions!" Hiei grumbled rubbing the red mark on his head. Then stared at Shinpi.

Blood ran down her chin from where her teeth had gone through her lip and she winced, gingerly touching the wound.

"You're bleeding." Hiei made a face.

"Am I?" She pulled her fingers back then groaned. "This hurts like a bitch. Your head is pretty hard."

"You knew that." Hiei joked but then scrambled to find something to help her mop the blood off her face. He managed to retrieve one of the clothes they used to wipe sweat off during training and offered it to her.

"I think I'm better off going to the bathroom to wash off." Shinpi shook her head. "I need to see how bad the damage is."

Hiei nodded even though he wanted to protest. A little blood wasn't enough to dissuade his mood, but if her mouth was actually injured then Shinpi needed to get it healed. "I'll help."

By the end of it, Hiei regretfully had to watch as Kuwabara sutured the wound closed giving direction to care for the stitches over the next few days. Hiei pouted at the loss of his first chance to be intimate with Shinpi since he'd been back.

"I know she can be mouthy, but did you really have to pop her one?" Yusuke joked, elbowing Hiei in the ribs as they gathered outside the bathroom while Kuwabara finished up. "Good thing the big guy is studying medical sciences, huh?"

"I didn't hit her. She fell and bit her lip."

"That's the same excuse a guy gave after smacking my mom once."

"This isn't a joke." Hiei snapped at him, cross for a number of reasons.

"Hiei, relax." Shinpi winced as she tried to smile at him, her lip definitely swollen and not because of their kiss. "I'm going to ice this before I go to bed."

"Yeah and we should get out of here so you can shower." Kuwabara looked at Hiei pointedly.

At first the fire demon didn't understand the pointed statement until he looked down and noticed the blood drying on his chest, arm and shoulder from where he'd helped Shinpi to the bathroom and the initial cleaning of her wound. Grumbling, he conceded.

The others had wandered back to their rooms by the time he quietly opened Shinpi's door, relieved when it wasn't locked. She was curled in bed under the covered, head propped up on her arm and a glass of ice water by the bed. He walked over and crawled onto the bed as gently as he could so he wouldn't wake her. Lying beside her, he listened to her steady breathing. Maybe it wasn't the ending to the night he'd wanted, but it was something. Shinpi was talking to him.

Even if he had accidentally busted her lip.

He sighed, shifting on the pillow not sure why he felt so uncomfortable with his position. He'd been sleeping like shit for weeks. But he always slept on his back. Nothing had changed.

It wasn't until Shinpi snuggled against him, her head on his shoulder, her arm draped over his middle that he finally settled down. It surprised him how comfortable it felt to wrap his arm under her, even though his hand went to sleep soon after. But he barely noticed because he ended up drifting off too.

* * *

Hiei walked over with a scowl as Shinpi shook out a black shirt before clipping it to the line. The clothing lines were a sea of black and white, most of his clothing dangled out to dry. Everything accept what he was currently wearing. He'd woken to find that Shinpi had already left him behind and started on her day. It was unusual for him to sleep so late, but it was hard to deny he'd needed the extra rest.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, watching her with a smirk. Hadn't she said before she was done doing his laundry?

"Baking a pie." Shinpi glared at him over her shoulder.

"Funny. Why are my clothes out here?" He asked.

"Because I washed them." She informed him curtly.

"Why?"

"Because you smell." She turned to him with a hand on her hip. "When was the last time you washed your clothes? Some of these were _stiff_. Do you just take them off, wad them up and toss them on the floor only to retrieve them after a few days?"

Hiei didn't answer her because that was pretty much how he handled his wardrobe. Kurama occasionally offered to do his laundry, or at the temple Yukina would take care of it. Other than their active interference, he never really concerned himself.

"I'm airing out your room too. It positively reeked of sweat." She went back to her task, continuing to clip clothes to the line.

He owned more clothing than he'd realized, he noted looking out over the several pieces. She'd even washed his cloak. And hemmed the frayed edges. He said nothing as he fingered the new threads.

"Were you bored?" Hiei wondered aloud. "Seems like a lot of work for little payout."

"Not having to deal with the stale scent of sweat, blood, and grime makes it worth it." She assured him. "Cleaning relaxes me."

"Thank you." Hiei told her after a moment, remembering her asking him to let her care more the night before. "I…appreciate this."

"You're welcome." Shinpi smiled then and he knew the last month was officially behind them.

* * *

The sky had grown grey with cloud cover, the wind blustery as the day wore on. After dragging the clothes inside when the temperature dropped Shinpi scanned the living room and noticed the absence of a particular blonde. With a frown she wondered where the girl had gotten off too.

"Is Hiei training?" She asked Kuwabara, who blinked at her.

"Huh? I think he went into town with Yusuke." He shrugged. "Yukina sent them grocery shopping."

"Did he take the girl?"

"I don't think so. She was walking around the grounds last I saw her."

Shinpi nodded and headed for the door.

"Worried?" Kurama asked cheekily.

"There's a storm coming. She has no sense. It would be more trouble than it's worth to let her get lost." Shinpi narrowed her attention on the fox. "I'm going to go retrieve her."

"What a merciful caretaker." Kurama teased, looking up at her from his book. "She's lucky to have you around."

Shinpi left without responding, stopping to pull on her dark blue wool pea coat. Snow. The first real storm of the winter season. She wanted to make it back before it started.

* * *

Runa examined the tracks of the animals in the woods, committing them to memory. She'd heard that Amon-Shinpi was an expert tracker. Maybe she could become one too. And she stayed relatively close to the temple, as demanded of her.

In being so close, she hadn't thought to remain completely aware of her surroundings. The grounds were occupied by some of the strongest beings in this plane. For an intruder to sneak so close, unnoticed, it would be unfathomable.

Which is why she was so startled by the sound of twigs snapping behind her.

Runa's eyes flashed wide as she spun, too slowly, toward the demon looming behind her. His sword thrust forward and she clenched her jaw and eyes closed, ready to accept her bitter failure. Instead she was greeted with the pain of her back hitting a tree which she slid down. Opening her eyes she saw Shinpi where she'd been standing, the demon's sword shoved through her abdomen.

"Run."

Blood trickled down Shinpi's jaw, escaping the seal of her lips as she growled at their attacker. A blue eye shifted to glare at Runa, pupil a pinpoint.

"RUN."

Runa scrambled to her feet, confused. When the demon moved to approach her a green sphere of energy encased him and Shinpi, forcing him to stop.

"I won't let you." Shinpi seethed at him, gripping the blade cutting through her. "Not her."

"She's that important to you?" He bellowed a laugh.

"No. She's that important to someone else." Shinpi bared her teeth and then screamed as he pushed the sword through her torso and into the tree behind her, pinning her in place. It burned. Her eyes misted from the pain but she refused to let the tears fall.

Her hand dipped down to her hip, the other wrapped around the sword buried in her. It was hard to breathe, the pain was excruciating. But her fingers peeled open the leather case, allowing her to grab one of the blue throwing knives she kept on her at all times now. Hiei's gift to her. Raising the knife she slashed the man across the wrist with it, creating a gash.

He jerked back then laughed again. "Is that all the fight you have left in you?"

He twisted the hilt of the sword, jarring open her wound. Shinpi screamed again before biting down on her cheek, tasting blood. Her eyes narrowed and she forced herself to smile at him, a malicious grin that probably looked as strained as it felt.

"Pitiful wretch. I might as well put you out of your misery." He teased her, reaching forward to brush the hair from her face. "Won't you make such a nice omen for what's to come? I'll leave you here like this so that when your friends find you, they can see how powerless they truly are."

Snow began to fall and Shinpi's smirk grew.

"Did you know that even in demons, blood is mostly water? Over ninety-percent usually." Shinpi swallowed down a wad of copper that had invaded the back of her throat. "Blood, the lubricants in your eyes, saliva, bile, hell, even skin. It's all mostly water."

"So?"

"So, have you ever seen an animal left out in the desert?" She pinned him with a twinkling gaze, her lips pulling into a genuine grin. "The carcass gets dehydrated and basically mummifies itself. Water is an essential component to existing, even for demons."

"What are you on ab-"

He blinked, swaying on his feet.

"You never even bothered to notice you hadn't stopped bleeding." Shinpi smirked at him, watching as tears began to pour from his eyes and drool from his mouth, the blood flowing from his cut faster than it should have. "Should have killed me when you had the chance."

He went to step forward and collapsed. Focusing she closed her eyes and used what energy she had left to draw every ounce of water out of his body that she could. It surged out all at once, coating the ground and soaking her feet. A mixture of fluids she didn't want to dissect. Then her knife fell from her hands, her fingers going numb.

"If I had more energy this would have gone faster." She admitted to the dead body curled at her feet. Then she tilted her head back to look up at the whitewashed sky, counting the slowly drifting flakes of snow as they fell lazily toward the ground. "Huh. I guess I should be cold, shouldn't I? How strange."

Her eyes shuttered closed and she sagged, unable to actually fall with the sword still shoved through her and into the tree.


	44. Tech Duinn

**A/N: I GOT MY NEW LAPTOP GUYS. It's all setup, and I'm back to writing! Plus, I moved all my docs to Google (as well as backing them up to my external HDD) so that I can access them anywhere from any device. Anyway, I sincerely want to thank you guys for your constant, continued support. It's amazing and I cry about it sometimes. Like, seriously. I've had some shit going on and life has been weird, as is the usual course for us all, and you all keep me afloat. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.**

 **Also, I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but it's the right length to get it's point across. We're seeing a transition in Shinpi's character (in my opinion) and from this point forward we'll see more of her relying on her support network like a semi-functioning adult.**

* * *

Runa held her breath, her back pressed to the thick trunk of a nearby tree. She listened as the man laughed. She heard Amon-Shinpi's reply and bit her lip to keep quiet as tears began to stream down her face. This woman...

The disparity between them had yet to ring so clear. Amon-Shinpi was willing to die to protect her. not out of love but because she felt it was the right thing to do. And here Runa was, hiding, afraid. She had been getting stronger, even Hiei had said as much. said so why then? Why was she crying here and not helping. Peeking around the trunk, Runa stared at the bubble of green containing the demons. Her body refused to move forward, her voice refused to call out as the dark haired woman smirked at her captor.

She had told Runa to run.

So that's what the younger wolf demon did.

The snow had begun to fall from the heavy grey sky as she rushed toward the temple only to find the demon she needed just creating the steps laden with canvas grocery bags. Stumbling to a stop, Runa hurled herself into Hiei's path, her blood racing and her breaths coming in pants. He took one look at her and rolled his eyes.

"What sort of demon gets scared this easily? Show some pride." Hiei grumbled.

"Its Amon-Shinpi." Runa spilled her message in a hurry. "She's hurt."

"What do you mean? Where is she?" Hiei frowned.

"In the woods. There was a demon with a sword. She pushed me out of the way." Runa rambled as coherently as she could. "She told me to run so-"

"So you did." Hiei stripped off the bags with a snarl, shoving them into Runa's hands. "Like a coward you let her take the hit for you and then you left. _Fucking useless_."

Hiei took off, leaving Runa with Yusuke who shifted uneasily under the burden of his own haul. After a moment he strolled around her, making his way toward the temple. "Come on kid, we got work to do."

Runa followed at a shuffle, Hiei's words biting through her. He was right. She was a coward. She had ran and abandoned the woman who had saved her. This wasn't working. Mukuro had been wrong to send her here, to assume that she could be transformed into a fighter, into someone useful. That much was clear now. A fighter would have stayed, would have helped. But she had ran. She ran today just as she'd run the day Mukuro found her.

Mukuro was wrong to believe in her and now Amon-Shinpi was paying the price.

* * *

Hiei tore through the forest with a snarl firmly on his face. Runa had seemed shaken. The fact Shinpi had sent her away but hadn't followed made him grit his teeth. This goddamn woman was going to be the death of him. What had been so damn…

He slid to a stop and lost his thought. The snow had begun to collect on the ground. It melted under his careful steps as he walked forward, eye glued to the scene he'd found. It took a few seconds for him to process what he was seeing.

Shinpi stood limp, a sword pushed through her abdomen and into the tree behind her pinning her upright despite the definite sag of her unconscious body. A blue knife, dusted with snow, lay at her feet next to the husk of whoever had attacked her. Hiei toed the body, noting the stain of fluids painting the man's skin and the coloring the snow around his corpse. The smell was rancid. Hiei had never dealt with anything like it before. The salty, metallic tang of blood, the pungent mix of urine and other unsavory fluids.

Slowly, he lifted his eyes to study the woman herself. He didn't want to see her. He didn't want to understand the bluish tinge to her fingers and lips, the stain of red coloring her jeans and the ground under her, or the translucent quality her skin had adopted. The snow didn't melt where it rested against her hair.

He didn't want to be there, finding this. He didn't want to know what it meant.

They had just come to an understanding.

Her stitches hadn't even come out yet. Carefully, he brushed the pad of his thumb over the sutures.

Nothing. Not even a wince or groan in her sleep.

No heat in her lips.

"You fool." Hiei lowered his hand, balling it into a fist at his side as he glared at her. "You complete, utter, fucking fool. How could you do this?"

He swallowed and shook his head, trying to navigate the rampant thoughts overtaking his brain. Goddammit. What was he supposed to do now? She couldn't be dead. Her task wasn't over. Hiro was still alive. _He was still alive_. He tried to force himself to think. A pulse. That's right. Shinpi should still have a pulse in this body. He frowned and pressed his hand to the side of her neck. Nothing.

Just last night her pulse had hammered when his lips pressed to this spot. Just last night she had been warm under his hands, laying against him.

"Like this." Kurama's voice announced his presence just as he reached around Hiei to press two fingers against the pulsepoint in Shinpi's neck. "You have to do it like this, Hiei."

Hiei nodded, following the foxes lead. Frowning he pulled his hand back. "Nothing."

A softer gasp turned him toward Yukina, who stood with her hand covering her mouth, Kuwabara at her side looking pale as the snow still falling and coating the world around them. Hiei turned back to Shinpi and reached for the sword to be stopped by Kurama's hand.

"She'll die." Kurama told him. "We have to keep it in place until we are prepared to move her."

"She can't heal if that damn thing is stuck in her." Hiei jerked away.

"She won't heal at all if she's dead." Kurama told him firmly. "She'll bleed out, Hiei. This body is still human, remember. We have to treat her like it for now."

Human.

Hiei stepped back and allowed Yukina to rush forward. There was the faintest sign of breathing, a barely noticeable rise and fall of Shinpi's chest. The blood staining her clothes was still warm. She wasn't dead yet, but at this rate it was only a matter of time. He found himself helpless, only able to watch as Yukina did her work.

Of all the feelings he'd hated since meeting Shinpi this one was the worst. Helplessness. How weak. It was a useless sensation.

* * *

"I've…I've been here before." Shinpi stared up at the ancient tree, it's softly lumiscent white blossoms swaying in a gentle wind. The cracked bark of the trunk felt familiar under her palms. Welcoming.

Looking around she found the tree in a place that she knew in her soul but had never been herself. There was no castle here, no bustling city full of lively citizens. No market full of vendors or children running about. Just the thriving tree and the grass under her bare soles that felt soft as moss.

"Yes, you have." A voice sounded behind her and she turned slowly to greet its owner. Green eyes crinkled as the observed her, red-brown hair tied back in thick plaits. "This is where we come when we die, darling. I admit, I'm broken at seeing you here again so soon."

Again?

Shinpi stared at her grandmother, Aina. Oh yes, that's right. She'd been here _then_ too. When she fell to the bottom of the chasm of her own creation. When she failed.

She had forgotten.

It was only then that she realized the hair caught on the wind was a fiery red, blowing around her face. She stood taller than the wizened old woman. Extending her hands she studied her long nails, the tips rounded points. Her tongue ran over her teeth, fixating on her sharp canines. Then she touched her ears, massaging the pointed tops.

Dying.

She frowned and allowed her hands to drop to her sides, curling her fingers into her palms.

Failing.

 _Again_.

"Are you taking care of your grandfather?"

That voice widened her eyes, and immediately the tears started to form. That soft, loving voice. That warm, large hand on her shoulder. She spun around to face her father with glistening eyes and apologies spilling from her tongue.

"I'm so sorry!" She cried, stepping back from him. "I failed you. I failed all of you. I let them kill you. The whole point of the war was to keep everyone safe and I-"

"Shh. Stop." Fingertips traced her jaw, her mother smiling at her softly. "You always carried so much burden, darling. It is not your fault that we were killed."

Shinpi tried to stifle her tears. Tried to accept their words, but couldn't.

Instead she did what she did best. She evaded the problem.

"Grandfather is safe. I lost him for a while, but I got him back." She explained to all three of them. "He's with someone I trust."

Her parents shifted and offered each other sly smiles. It was her father who spoke. "Oh yes, that boy of yours."

"Hiei isn't a boy. He's a man." Shinpi huffed, crossing her arms. "And he's a damn good one too."

"He's younger than you. I had always imagined you with someone older." Her mother bit her thumb, teasing. "But it seems you've made your choice there."

Her choice? Oh right. She _had_ chosen Hiei, hadn't she?

Hiei.

He must be so angry with her. She looked at the tree again. "How did I get here?"

"Aishling is with you." Aina explained smiling. "I doubt he knew it, but by giving you a piece of the tree your Hiei gave you back to us."

The necklace.

" _I thought it would help ground you."_

"Where is Kin?" Shinpi turned to them. And immediately her heart sank, her soul growing heavy as they avoided looking at her.

"Your brother…" Her mother turned to look at her father.

"He wasn't buried with us. He wasn't given the rites." It was Aina who answered after a tense breath. "We do not know where he is."

A chill ran down Shinpi's spine.

Hiro…Hiro hadn't buried Kin? He hadn't bothered to give her brother her family's funeral rites? He _knew_ that Kin couldn't connect with their ancestors without a proper burial. He knew! Kin was trapped somewhere between, alone. Forgotten by everyone but her.

And now Hiei.

Her teeth bit together.

No.

"I will find him. I will fix this." Shinpi declared, lost in her fury and pain for the moment, her mind focused solely on this task. "I will face Hiro and I will save Kin."

"From here?" Her father asked quietly. "Hichi, you're-"

"I die when I'm ready to die." She barked at him, lifting her head. "I refuse to go down like this. I refuse to fail again."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Kichirou admitted with a small smile. "But you can't do it alone."

"I'm not alone." Shinpi told him firmly, planting her feet and widening her stance as her brows came down in her determination. "I have Hiei. I have Yusuke and Kurama and Kuwabara. I have an entire platoon of friends who will not let me go quietly."

"It's about time you learned how to work with others." Aiofe nodded. "Team work has never been your strong suit."

"I don't have the luxury of being stubborn anymore." Shinpi looked back to Aishling, the eternal connection between her and her family. She touched her breastbone where she knew the necklace lay on her physical form. "And I can't afford to die yet."

* * *

Hiei grew still, turning himself into a living statue, as Shinpi's hand raised from her side to wrap around her necklace. Her cobalt eyes peeled open, barely, just enough to meet his.

"I'm in your hands, darling. Don't drop me." She barely the managed the words around her winter-ravaged throat, the taste of copper and bile overwhelming her tongue. "I need you, Hiei."

Kurama, Kuwabara and Yukina hushed themselves and stared.

"I'm here." Hiei nodded once, coming out of his stupor, he rested a calloused palm against Shinpi's cheek. "I've got you, Shinpi."

She sagged again, unconscious and their efforts to unpin her resumed in double time. Hiei checked her pulse again and again and again, each time finding it stronger than before. It was too soon to feel relieved, he knew that, but damn was it hard to combat the sensation. This woman. This stupid, feral, pain in the ass woman choosing him. Relying on him.

This woman was such a mess.

But she was his.

And he wasn't about to lose her to something as benign as death.


	45. Seal the Deal

**A/N: Hey y'all! I'm on vacation this weekend in Missouri! I've never been before so this will be exciting. We'll be visiting with the in-laws for a few days before flying back to Maine on my bday (the 29th). Seriously, you guys are going to love this chapter. But, please forgive me for the rushed editing. I've been on the go all day and I'm exhausted. I just wanted to push this out.**

 **It's longer too! I've switched from Word to GoogleDocs for now, because I don't feel like paying for Word again. So any weird formatting spotted, let me know.**

 **I'm super stoked for this chapter and I think y'all will be too. Much love!**

 **Songs on the Reborn Forgotten playlist (found on spotify) I associate with this chapter: Worth the Fight, Broods; Wonderland, Natalia Kills; Pull My hair, Bright Eyes.**

* * *

"Tell me again."

Runa swallowed, unable to meet the crimson glare pinning her in place at the kitchen table. Swallowing she started explaining for the third time how the events of the previous evening had transpired.

"I was in the forest." She started.

"Why?" Hiei growled at her, again. "Why the hell were you in the forest?"

"I saw animal tracks." Runa hunched into her shoulders. "I wanted to see if I could identify them. And find the creature."

She didn't need to look to see Hiei staring at her.

"It just seems like a skill I should have. I didn't want to bother any of you to teach me, and you're always telling me to take things on for myself. So-"

"So you decided to do the single most useless thing you could and nearly get someone killed in the process." Hiei crossed his arms, eyes narrowing further. "You could have done anything else. You could have worked on your strength. You could have committed to perfecting your form. But no. You dedicated yourself to the one goddamn thing that would pull you away from the temple."

"I didn't go far!" Runa defended herself. "I stayed close! I didn't think anyone would dare come near the temple with all of you here!"

"You weren't paying attention." Hiei snapped at her.

"No. I wasn't." She conceded, looking down at her hands. "I wouldn't have even noticed him if it wasn't for the twig snapping. By then it was too late. I should have died."

"Why did Shinpi save you?"

"I don't know."

"Did you know she was following you?"

"No. I had no idea."

"Why would she be following you?"

"I don't know."

"Are you doing something she'd want to catch you in the act of?"

"Other than being a total idiot?" Runa frowned at her hands. "No."

Hiei considered that. "I'll find out."

"If there was anything to tell you, I would." She finally met his eyes. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She's too stubborn to die." Hiei looked toward the hall all the same, a tinge of worry twisting his lips. "Which is why I find it so strange that she would willingly sacrifice herself for someone she doesn't even like."

Runa looked down again. She'd been wondering the same thing.

"What happened next?" Hiei pressed, drawing his attention away from the hall.

Questioning Runa had the double benefit of keeping his mind off how long it was taking Botan, Yukina and Genkai to heal Shinpi and also teaching the girl a lesson.

"Next, I hit a tree. When I looked up, Amon-Shinpi was hurt by that demon. She told me to run." Runa studied her fingers. "I hid behind a tree then I ran to get you."

"Go over it again." Hiei demanded, glaring at her.

"I've gone over it three times already!" Runa finally snapped at him. "It's the same every time!"

"I want the details, Runa." Hiei growled at her, leaning forward. "You're giving me a useless overview. We know nothing about the demon, why he attacked, if you were a target of opportunity or if he was seeking you out intentionally. Stop half-assing everything and _tell me what happened_."

Runa swallowed, sinking into her shoulders again. He was right. She hadn't given him anything useful.

"When situations like this happen, you have to be able to give a detailed report." Hiei informed her curtly. "If you're really supposed to pick up the responsibilities of my work, you can't be only giving the minimal effort."

"Do you give detailed reports?" Runa asked him, genuinely curious. Hiei didn't seem the wordy type. She had a hard time imagining him spending lengths of time describing situations to his superiors.

Then again, Hiei only had one superior really.

"I know what information is important what isn't. I give the correct details because I have the experience to know what's imperative and what isn't." Hiei huffed. "You don't have the luxury of picking facts. Start over, from the beginning and tell me everything that happened."

Runa inhaled and let it out slowly. "Some of it happened so fast…"

"Focus on the details, Runa."

"I was studying the tracks on the ground, trying to figure out which way the animal went. I'm pretty sure they were from a rabbit. I was kneeling down. I heard a twig snap and turned to see the demon standing over me, sword drawn. I closed my eyes. My back hit a tree. I opened my eyes to see Amon-Shinpi, already injured." She recited the events, eyes closed so she could focus on the memories.

"What kind of injury?" Hiei prompted.

"The sword was pushed through her. She was pinned to the tree." Runa scrunched her face. "She told me to run twice before I did. She looked furious. I hid behind a tree, listening. Watching. The demon tried to follow me and Amon-Shinpi put up some sort of barrier."

"To keep herself safe?"

"No. To prevent him from leaving. He asked if I was important to her, she said no. She said I was important to someone else." Runa frowned. "I tried to decide if I should fight. I didn't know what to do. I could smell blood." She hadn't even realized at the time that the scent had hit her so hard. "Amon-Shinpi cut her attacker. He said he wanted to show everyone how powerless they really were. He was going to leave her there to die."

Hiei leaned back.

"I felt so useless. So weak. She protected me even though she didn't have to. I couldn't have won that fight, but I should have tried. I should have paid attention." Runa's fingers curled into her palms, her nails pressing into her skin. "I ran to get you then. I didn't see how the fight ended."

"Shinpi killed him." Hiei informed her. "I don't know how but from the state of his body, I think she called the liquid out of him."

The wolf demon balked. "She can do that?"

"Apparently."

"We stopped the bleeding." Yukina announced as she walked into the kitchen, her hands and dress covered in blood. She looked worn to the born, her eyes sunken and her skin pale from using so much of her energy. "Between the three of us it looks like we managed to fix a majority of the damage internally. Her body will have to do the rest."

Hiei had gotten to his feet the minute she'd walked in, his formerly mildly-aggressive expression turning wild. "Is she awake?"

"No." Yukina made her way to the sink to watch her hands, concentrating on the task. "She might not wake up for a while. Her body was in shock. She lost a lot of blood, Hiei."

"How long is a while?" He demanded.

"It's hard to say." Genkai walked into the room with her hands behind her back. "That body is still human and her energy was barely there. She's lucky she's so relentlessly stubborn, anyone else would have died. But she's stable. If you want to go che-"

Hiei was gone before she finished her sentence.

"This is my fault." Runa told the other two women, her attention tracing the path Hiei had run to the hallway.

"Your guilt is noted, but it won't fix this." Yukina's tired voice turned the slightest bit cold. "If this is really your fault, you need to find a way to make sure it doesn't happen again. You can't allow other people to be injured for your own safety all the time, Runa. You have to be stronger than that."

Runa nodded slowly while Genkai raised an eyebrow at the ice maiden.

"If you truly want to be a fighter, like Hiei or Hichi, then you have to commit."Yukina went on quietly. "Growing stronger and more capable of defending yourself is the only way to truly make up for what happened today."

* * *

"I'm not sure I've ever seen Hiei like this before." Yusuke frowned, playing cards with Kurama and Kuwabara. "He's really worried about her."

"He is." Kurama agreed, nodding as he finished his turn. "It's hard on him to see someone he considers so strong in such a defenseless state."

"She'll wake up soon though, right?" Kuwabara asked, then sighed. "It's been three days."

"I dunno. She was really hurt." Yusuke made a face.

"You _died_ and _came back_ in less time than this." The carrot top frowned. "I just wish she'd wake up already so we know she's okay."

"She'll wake up." Kurama assured him. "Her body just needs time to recover, Kuwabara. We can't rush this process."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

* * *

A haze. The last three days had basically been lost in a dreamlike haze to Hiei. His feet carried him around the grounds of the temple without much purpose, but when anyone asked him where he was going he'd always reply on auto-pilot with ' _Patrol_ '. He avoided Runa, leaving her to her own devices. After she'd given him the details he'd wanted he didn't want to look at her anymore. He didn't care what she was doing or where.

Shinpi still wasn't awake.

He paced the grounds in distracted strides, buried in his thoughts while trying to pretend he was seeing his surroundings. The snow had continued through the night of Shinpi's injury and now a thick white carpet of the frigid fluff coated the ground. It melted under his boots, soaking through the material which he tolerated until he couldn't anymore. The sun had dipped out of the sky, leaving behind darkness and the hush of winter nights. Even the wind was still.

There was only so much of the crunch of snow underfoot that he could take.

Hiei made his way back into the temple, shedding his shoes and cloak while resigning himself to another night sleeping on the floor propped against the wall by Shinpi's bed. He'd tried to touch her the first night. A simple brush of his hands over her cheeks and she had cried out in her sleep.

She'd been so cold.

His body heat must have felt scalding to her, Kuwabara had explained later. He hadn't touched her since, instead choosing to remain close and watchful but at a safe distance for her comfort.

Drained, he pushed open her bedroom door and stopped near immediately. It was late. The rest of the temple was asleep, evident by the sound of Yusuke's snores reverberating through a distant hall. Hiei closed the door behind himself quietly, eyes fixed on the bed.

On Shinpi, sitting up and watching him.

Awake.

He crossed the room and said nothing. Crawling onto the bed onto all fours, he continued until he hovered over her. She said his name, a whisper from a voice that hadn't been used in days and he couldn't not touch her anymore. Desperately, his mouth found hers and he moved his hands to her face, part of him waiting for her to scream again as he straddled her legs. When she didn't he held her so he could kiss her until he'd had his fix.

And she was warm. So warm under his touch, against his mouth. Breathing. Alive. His fingers found her pulse-point and he relished in the rapidness of her heartbeat. The strength of it.

"Darling." Shinpi whispered, pulling back to rest her forehead to his. "You must have been so angry. I'm sorry."

"Angry?" Hiei growled at her, less from anger than from a sudden hot need to have more of her. "Angry isn't the right word."

Her palms rested against the sides of his neck as he cradled her face, their foreheads bowed together.

"You were nearly dead when I found you. I never want you to do that to me again." Hiei warned her, a little breathless. "I thought you were gone, Shinpi. I thought-"

Her lips cut him off. A gentle pressure against his own, soft and sweet.

"I am so sorry, Hiei." Shinpi told him, meaning the words from the very core of her being. Her eyes glistened with the honesty of them.

"You'll make it up to me." He told her after a moment.

"Whatever you want darling. Anything." She agreed readily, kissing him so gently once more. Then a startled yelp escaped her as Hiei put his hands on her hips and yanked her body down to laying, rocking back from his knees to the balls of his feet to make the action possible.

He pushed her oversized night shirt up to her breastbone, his eyes examining her stomach and the new pink scar marring her side. Still so fresh that the skin around was red. Gripping her side, he ran his thumb over the ruined flesh.

 _I'm in your hands, darling. Don't drop me._

Hiei's grip tightened as the image of Shinpi, helpless and dying, invaded his memory again. It had been playing on repeat against the back of his eyelids for days. He was tired of it. He wanted a new memory to agonize over.

"Anything." Hiei repeated, mostly to himself, as he considered the weight of that word so freely given to him. No stipulations. No addendums. Nothing to keep from asking her to do something she might not want to. The trust implicit in that utterance escalated the fire brewing in his lower stomach.

 _I need you, Hiei_.

"Do you still need me?" Hiei asked, slowly moving his attention back to Shinpi's face.

She sucked in her breath when their eyes met. The way he looked at her...it was dangerous and hungry and incredibly alluring.

"Yes." She responded easily, unguarded.

"For what?"

"For nothing. I just need you to exist."

He clicked his tongue, adjusting to rest on his knees, still straddling her legs so he could examine her scars.

"Were you expecting some declaration of you completing me?" Shinpi teased him lightly, relaxed under his caresses. Her hand trailed up his arm, her fingers barely skimming over his skin. "I am complete on my own, Hiei. So are you. We shouldn't fill in missing pieces of one another. I find it much better that we work in tandem but as separate beings."

"What does that mean?" Hiei leaned into her hand as it cupped his cheek, closing his eyes for just a moment to enjoy the touch of her skin against his.

"It means that needing you isn't nearly as important as me wanting you." Shinpi offered him a smile that was warm and also _more_. "Dedicating yourself to someone is a choice you have to remake moment to moment. It's not like breathing, necessarily. It's like moving your arms or legs. It's an active process, even when it feels natural. And it's a choice I intend to keep making."

Hiei stared at her, not speaking. Just digesting her point, examining it quickly while trying to decide what to do.

"I choose you, Hiei. Even when it's hard. Even when you don't choose me." She propped herself up to kiss him tenderly, her hand still cupping his face. "A mhuirnin."

She...she chose him?

What sort of stupid, idiotic, foolish nonsense was this? She chose him? Why? What did he possibly have to offer that…

Shinpi kissed him again, with a little more force. Enough to draw him from his spiraling thoughts.

"You are so incredibly worthy, Hiei. You are stalwart, you beautiful, you are in a constant stage of growth that I live in awe of. I adore you, darling. I worship your flaws as aspects of a man I didn't know could exist." She breathed the words against his lips, keeping his attention. "So please, stop trying to make my words a deception. I can see the doubt in your eyes and it hurts me to think you don't know how truly amazing you are."

"You hear what I don't say." Hiei muttered back, almost impressed she had been able to peg his insecurity. "You're a foolish woman, Amon-Shinpi, but you're my foolish woman. That must count for something."

"I'm yours hmm?" She grinned then, laying back down with that sly expression. "Prove it."

"I'm not one of your underlings, _princess_. You don't get to boss me around." He smirked back at her. "I do things when I feel like doing them, not when it's demanded of me."

"Shame." She rolled her eyes away and sighed. "But I'm in no state to fight you on this."

"Does it hurt?" He once again traced her new scar with this thumb.

"A little." She admitted readily. "Nothing I can't handle. The skin is still fresh, so I have to be tender with it. I'll be slow moving for a few more days."

Hiei kissed her then, deep and hungry, his teeth scraping her lip as one hand gripped her hip and the other became his point of balance over her, his weight resting on his forearm by her head. Shinpi mewled, melting into him, her fingers balling in his shirt at the waist.

"Say it again." He demanded, the fire in his blood refusing to cool down. "Tell me you want me."

"I want you." Shinpi breathed the confession again, eyes growing hazy.

He couldn't hide his satisfaction at seeing her pupils swallowing her irises. The way her heart hammered in her chest. Her rapid, heavy breathing. His wild animal woman, desperate with need for him. Hungry. Just for him.

"Again." Hiei muttered, satisfied beyond reason when she repeated herself even more breatless than before. "Mmm. Maybe I should wait until you heal completely. I'm not sure I can control myself enough not to hurt you."

"You bastard." Shinpi glared at him. "Don't you dare leave me undone this way, you little-"

Hiei kissed her again and the sound of fabric tearing earned an indignant cry from the woman. Her protest was swallowed by his mouth, cut off by his tongue dancing with her own. In retaliation he felt her nails dig into his shoulders, surely leaving marks. He pulled back before she could shred his shirt the way he'd torn hers. Rising to his knees, chest rising and falling with need, he pulled the black tank-top over his head and tossed it to the ground.

He'd seen Shinpi undressed before. In her lace and in her skin. But this was the first time he got to touch her. To admire her. He savored the moment, ingraining it into his memory. If this was the image that would play when he closed his eyes, he could die a happy man.

Shinpi lay under him, the blanket covering her legs and the bottom of her hips. Beyond that she was bare to him, heaving, cobalt irises swallowed by the black of her pupils. Her pink lips parted to murmur his name in the most delectable way. He counted the scars he could see. The faintest mark on her lip. The new lines under bottom lip where they'd removed her stitches. The white line on her cheek. The old wound on her side. The fresh one, still healing. He touched each one as he counted them, admiring their presence.

And Shinpi seemed to be doing the same as him, her fingers dancing over his face, chest, stomach and grazing the marks his life had left behind. His were far more numerous than her own.

"My gods, you're so beautiful." She told him, and he got the impression it was a stray thought that had slipped free from her lips. "I am a lucky woman."

"I thought you didn't believe in luck." Hiei began to undo his two belts with deliberate movements to draw her attention. He could have moved faster, but he didn't want to. He liked the way Shinpi admired him. Her hunger only fed his own.

"You're right. But in this case, I'm not sure how else to describe the fact that a man like you would bother with a woman like me." Her eyes watched his hands, her tongue wetting her bottom lips. When her eyes roved back up to his face, catching him smirking salaciously, her breath caught in her chest again. "Perhaps I have died and this heaven."

"Not heaven." Hiei assured her. "Not even close."

Her eyes traced the dark hair leading from his navel downward and she wet her lips again. Maybe she was well enough to…

Hiei put two fingers under her chin, drawing her attention to his sparkling crimson gaze. "No more games, Shinpi. This is us consummating our arrangement. This is a deal we're striking between the two of us. A decision we're making that we're telling each we will keep making."

"It's us against the world, darling." She agreed, once again sitting up to kiss him. "Sealed with a kiss."

"Sealed with more than a kiss." He growled and pushed her down again. Then he smirked, pulling the blanket off her legs and discovering she was bare from the waist down too. He made a sound low in his throat. His didn't even bother trying to kick his pants off all the way. Mid-way down his thighs was enough.

He didn't have the patience.

Shinpi cried his name when he entered her, and it made him go still, his face buried in her neck. The thought _'Mine, finally mine'_ swirling around his thoughts in some sort of mantra. He had to wait to move for both their benefits. But when he did, he didn't stop again.

He'd been with women before. To fill the need if it didn't resolve itself. But this...this was different. Charged. Maybe it was because it was Shinpi, and everything around her had to be more intense, but he thought it was something else. It was the pent up desire of the moment. It was the knowledge that this was something he could return to. A moment not lost to time, but meant to be repeated.

He found himself feeling more at home in Shinpi's body than he'd felt anywhere else before. And he told her as much, between desperate kisses and panting cries. Shinpi clutched onto him like she was afraid he'd disappear. Her nails left lines on his shoulders and back. Her grip bruised. Her teeth grazed his chest, his neck, and he didn't even care. Let her leave her marks on him.

His hand found hers, their fingers twining together as he pinned their joined hands to the pillows. And when she cried his name into his mouth, he growled mindlessly back. Her back arching, her eyes screwing closed, the electricity coursing through her wasn't enough to slow him down. He devoured her reactions, and he worked to replicate them. No one, not one goddamn person in any of the worlds, would ever make her feel what he could. He was going to make sure of it. She'd brought things out of him no one else had, and he was damn determined to return the favor.

His fingerprints were bruised into the back of her hand, tattooed against her hips. Her chest, her neck, they bore the marks of his mouth. Her lips swollen with the pressure of his.

By the time they found release together, they were sweat-slicked and depleted. Hiei collapsed to her side, panting. Shinpi was the same, her bangs plastered to her face and forehead messily. She wiped the sweat from her eyes and stared at the ceiling in a daze for a few minutes while she caught her breath.

Hiei watched her chest rise and fall, admiring the curve of her breasts.

His. This woman was his. He could have her anytime he asked and she wanted him too. What absurdity. This was a cosmic joke, being played on him. He had never been allowed to have something this precious before. The swell of worry that this was temporary rushed over him.

Another treasure waiting to be lost.

He touched the necklace that held his mother's stone, the haze of sex and Shinpi slipping away.

Then he saw Shinpi grip her necklace and he knew she was thinking it too. She had lost as much and maybe more than he had in life. Everything. This was a risk for her too. In fact, it amazed him that she trusted herself to him at all given her past. Opening herself up, caring for him, everything in her history should have screeched to her that this was an awful idea. Yet she turned to face him with a smile and glittering eyes.

"We face the world together, whatever may come." She told him and it was as much a vow as it was a question.

"Together." Hiei agreed, once again winding his fingers between hers, their hands resting on her stomach.

She rolled toward him, kissing him with sleepy eyes and then rested her head against the pillow under his shoulder. "Stay with me tonight?"

"Mhmm." Hiei muttered back, trying to sound mildly annoyed when really he hadn't intended to leave at all. "Rest, Shinpi. Tomorrow I'll be back to being pissed with you for nearly dying."

"I'll have a good reason by then." She joked.

"I doubt it."

They fell asleep together, skin on skin, both with the faintest smiles on their faces.


	46. Hide and Seek

"You should have let her suffer the consequences of being inept." Hiei grumbled, sitting up with a scowl, one knee bent upwards under the sheet so his arm could rest on it as he watched Shinpi get dressed. After they'd woken, she'd gone into detail about the events surrounding her being attacked.

"We both know that would have only created more issues." Shinpi chided lightly, fixated on the dire choice of which shirt to wear that day. "She's still young, Hiei. Not to mention she's your responsibility."

"It's not like I asked for her. She was pushed on me." Hiei responded dryly, glaring away from the dark haired woman. "Another of Mukuro's ridiculous whims."

"Well, she's obviously got something going for her if she was chosen to become your protege." She turned to eye him, then frowned when he seemed unsure. "What's that face about?"

"I just realized I had never seen Runa before Mukuro introduced us. As far as I know she wasn't one of the troops." He admitted. "Actually, I know nothing about her."

"Nothing?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

Shinpi sighed. "Lose the attitude, Hiei. I didn't put you in this position."

He frowned then realized she was right. "Anyway, what's it matter? None of that changes the fact she's ill-equipped."

"But that doesn't stoke your curiosity?" Shinpi turned around and leaned against the dresser, fully dressed, her arms holding the edge of the piece of furniture as she stared at him. "A young wolf demon, so helpless, surviving so long with no skills? She said she didn't have a pack."

"There's no way she made it this long on her own." Hiei grumped, sliding out of bed finally and sorting through his discarded clothing to find his pants so he could shove his legs into them. After doing his first belt he stopped, raising his attention to glittering blue eyes. "That was point, wasn't it? She didn't do this alone. Which means, pack or not, someone was taking care of her to the point she never had to learn to care for herself."

"I adore a man who has the whole package." Shinpi grinned at him, saunting over and running a finger down his chest, her eyes on his face. "Body, brains, and a moral code. What more could a woman ask for?"

"Keep that up and you'll be asking for mercy." Hiei warned her with a raw edge to his voice.

"Promises, promises." She pulled back and moved her attention to the bedroom door. "But before that, I think we should have a conversation with your little pup."

* * *

Runa sat in the reading room, eyes down as she clasped her hands together on top of her legs. The active effort to avoid bouncing her leg or fidget with her fingers was causing her muscles to tense. Her jaw hurt from being locked closed. Her eyes felt dry from trying not to blink repeatedly.

Dealing with Amon-Shinpi was always intimidating. As was dealing with Hiei. Putting the two of them together, their gazes boring into her as a team, it made her wonder just exactly when her execution was scheduled. And the silence. The silence was agonizing. Hiei wasn't a talker. He actually tended to ignore her unless he was directly coaching her. But from Amon-Shinpi? That silence felt like a promise.

She did not want the other woman to fulfill that promise.

"Shinpi told me what happened." Hiei explained. "And I have your story."

"I'm sorry." Runa stated immediately, not daring to look away from her hands. "I should have intervened."

"It's better you didn't." Shinpi announced. "You would only gotten yourself killed which would have just wasted all my effort."

Runa frowned, her face scrunching up with her head still downturned.

"I disagree." Hiei shot toward Shinpi. "She is the reason you ended up so grievously wounded. Hold her accountable."

"She didn't ask me to save her, darling. I acted on my own. You cannot punish her for that."

"I can." He countered. "And I likely will."

Runa tensed.

"This isn't the conversation we discussed having." Shinpi breezed around Hiei's contempt with ease. "We're here to talk about the other thing, Hiei. Remember that."

"I'm still not pleased."

"Noted."

"Fine." Hiei grumped. "Who are you, Runa?"

Runa stilled, her eyes wide, her lips parted and then she squeezed her eyes closed. Pulling into herself she made her body as small as possible.

"I'm Runa. A wolf demon. I serve Mukuro and Alaric." She spoke quickly, reciting the information without offering anything new.

"Where were you living before you came to Alaric?" Shinpi took over the questioning lightly. "You aren't a native there. You weren't in the ranks until recently. It seems to me you are a refugee."

Runa didn't answer at first, her tension causing her fingers to dig into the back of her hands.

"So, I suppose then that makes the question less 'Who are you' and more," Shinpi's fixed her in place when Runa finally looked up, "Who were you?"

* * *

Dancing. Dancing and singing. Smiling. Having her long blonde hair brushed and curled for her. The fingers of strangers running through the strands and up her arms, down her back. Always smiling. Smiling when someone touched her bare breastbone even as her skin crawled. Smiling when jagged teeth and rotten breath clouded around her in a miasmus of faces that all blurred together.

And bright lights.

She liked the lights, it meant she couldn't see beyond them. They afforded her a net of safety, a barrier. The lights allowed everyone else to see her smile, dance, sing, but they also allowed her to feel alone. As though she were in a private, bright world.

Demons and people alike spoke about how rare it was to find her. Her eyes. Her hair. Her voice. How unusual for a wolf demon to be a performer. Marcel must have to keep a close eye on her, keep her leash taut, since she was just a wild animal.

Marcel didn't smile. Not for them. Not when they touched her, or spoke of her, or leered. He didn't bother with the theatrics of it. The only person she would allow into that bright, safe world was Marcel. Not just because she had to. But because without him, the lights would go dark. Marcel kept her safe. He allowed her the reprieve of the lights. He would rescue her when her smile seemed too strong for him.

Marcel who had stolen her away. Marcel who told her she didn't always have to smile. It was okay to be strong. To say no.

She didn't remember the name of the man who found her. She remembered the collar, the chains, the scent of dirt under her face where she slept. She remembered being hungry and angry but beaten into submission. She remembered thick hands and the metallic tinge of blood on her tongue. And darkness.

So much darkness.

She remembered being called an animal. Laughter when she tried to stand up only to be kicked down. She remembered being reminded until it was her own words: You're nothing but a tamed wolf.

And then…

"Why are you in a cage?"

She looked up at the stranger, with his musty green skin and his strange black eyes. Long fingers ending in tapered nails. He wasn't tall. He wasn't as small as she was either.

"It's where I live." She responded more from the tactile memory of the words being beaten into her than anything else. "Animals live in cages."

"Do you want out?"

She didn't know what it meant to _want._ The desire for anything other than what she was given had been taken from her years before. Simply, she didn't want anything. She merely existed. She was given things and she was told to be grateful.

He unlocked the cage and let the door swing open, stepping back to watch her. She looked at the open door and then the stranger. She didn't move. No one had told her to. So she remained.

"Are you happy here?" The man asked her, head tipped to the side.

She smiled. She smiled the way she'd been trained to smile. Bright and full of teeth, reaching her eyes even if she didn't want it to. She always had to smile. When she didn't smile, she wasn't grateful.

But happiness?

What was that supposed to be anyway?

"You can leave you know. You shouldn't have to live in a cage. You're alive the same as him."

But was she?

What did it mean to be alive?

"Do you want to leave?"

She pulled the cage door closed and went back to waiting for her master to arrive. Waiting with a smile.

The man returned the next day and opened the door again. He waited. She didn't leave. He came back every day for a while. She didn't keep track of how long. Not until he didn't return.

She found herself staring at the latch. She paced. She let her smile drop. For the first time in her life, she wanted something. She wanted the man to come back.

But she hated his questions. They stirred up trouble. They made her think. Made her ask herself things she wasn't allowed to ask. The answers were worse.

She was not happy. She had never been happy before. She didn't even know what it felt like. Did it hurt? Was it nice?

And now, she wanted out. She wanted to find out what happiness was. She wanted to discover what it meant to be alive the same as anyone else. The same as the people who apparently didn't sleep in cages. Those who weren't adorned with collars. Those whose teeth hadn't been filed down to rounded, useless tips.

Restless, she existed.

And then he came back.

"Why do you open the door?" She asked him. Her first question. Not her last. She would have a million more.

"To let out you." He shrugged. Was it so thoughtless for him? He was ruining her life. And he _shrugged_?!

She undid the latch herself and stepped out. It was never locked. Only closed. She had stayed in because leaving hadn't occurred to her. Now she left.

"Things will be different from now on." He nodded and they began to walk away. Just like that. After years of nothing, she just...walked away. "I'm Marcel."

She accepted the name. And then found him staring at her, as if waiting for something. She had no clue what.

"What's your name?" He finally prompted.

"My name?" She frowned. She immediately flinched, prepared for the strike that act of disobedience would cost her.

"Yes, you're name." He nodded. He didn't hit her.

It took a few weeks to answer that question. They left the town and moved onto the next together. Marcel let her sleep where she wanted. At first that was the floor, then a cot, then eventually a bed. He let her choose her own food.

She ate until she was sick the first few times she remembered to eat at all.

And he let her pick out her own name. He would tell her names and wait to see her reaction before moving onto the next.

"Runa." He suggested and she jerked her head up, eyes wide, a campfire biscuit filling her mouth. They were traveling again. In the woods.

Marcel traveled a lot.

She choked as she hurried to swallow the food. After a coughing fit and a long drag of water, she finally muttered the name with her own mouth.

"Runa." Then she smiled to the ground. "I am Runa."

"It suits you." He told her, smiling too. "It means mighty strength."

She didn't believe that but she didn't argue. She rarely argued. And now she couldn't, because Marcel's smile ruined her life. It was bright and warm and made a home in her memories that shoved away the darkness. If she could only choose one thing to keep with her forever, it would be his smile.

Marcel was a rarity in their world. He played music for people. He traveled around the different lands to learn new songs and instruments and used them to make money entertaining. He played for kings and despots. For lowly families.

He taught Runa how to play too.

He took care of her. He made sure she had food to eat and water to drink. He kept her safe as she slept. Marcel promised her, one night while he combed her hair back into a braid, that he would always protect her.

She trusted him.

It was a foreign concept to her. One she didn't know the name of at first. Not until he laughed and explained what her feelings toward him meant. Marcel was good at giving names to things. He had a way of explaining the world that made sense. He was gentle with her.

Runa never played for crowds. Only for him. Only to practice. But one day, she was helping clean the room they were staying in and she began to sing. As she cleaned she moved how her body wanted to move. A freedom she was still adjusting to, even all these months later. But Marcel watched her and he was enthralled. His words. He wanted the world to hear her sing.

"They aren't real songs. I just make things up as I go."

"That's the best sort of of music, if you ask me."

And so, Runa began to perform. Nervously at first but then with confidence. This was a skill she had. One she could use to help Marcel. They made more money. They afforded more things. They visited more places. Together.

For years together.

"We've been invited to Sayol by the king. It's a rare treat. You'll love the land. It's quite hospitable." Marcel packed their things.

Sayol was a lovely place. Green. The sky had stars, something she had never seen before. The people were nice. But the trees… they didn't behave as trees should. And as they met with the king, a tall man with shocking white hair and darker tan skin and golden eyes that glittered with light, Marcel didn't behave the way he should either.

"If something happens, I want you to run away." Marcel kept his voice low in their shared room. "Run as far as you can. Run until you find help."

"Nothing will happen. We are guests here." Runa tutted, smiling for real. "It's not like you to be afraid."

"Runa. If something happens, you have to run."

She looked over at him, and found him stony and serious.

"Alright, Marcel. I will run."

Nothing happened. Not at first. But the king seemed to adore her. He complimented her smile, her hair.

"Blue eyes. That's not too common in wolves." He swirled a liquid in his glass and smiled at her.

Her heart sank, her stomach growing cold. Marcel shifted beside her. Dinner suddenly tasted like ashes in her mouth.

No one knew she was a wolf. No one.

Not even Marcel.

To Runa, it was a shameful thing. A secret. It was why she was weak, captured and tamed. That's what she'd been made to believe. So she kept it as a shameful secret should be kept: to herself.

But this king knew. And suddenly, Marcel wasn't being silly with his fear anymore. She knew. She felt it too.

"Does the name Amon-Shinpi mean anything to you?" The king asked, and his eyes roved her when she declined any knowledge of that person. "How old are you, Runa?"

"I don't know." She responded, growing stiff.

"I don't believe in coincidences. I think, maybe, you're the one I'm looking for."

Someone moved. Runa wasn't sure if it was first Marcel or the guard but suddenly she was on her feet and running. Marcel screaming at her to go. To flee. Then just screaming.

And she ran. She ran without direction. She ran until she couldn't. She ran and she waited where she stopped for Marcel. For days. Maybe weeks? Time lost its sense.

That's where the Alaric patrolmen found her. Curled into a ball, hiding by rocks, alone and unsure of who or what she was anymore. They brought her to someone they called king and she feared she'd be killed. But the woman eyed her with one blue eye and demanded her story. She gave it freely, having nothing left to lose.

Marcel was gone.

What was she without him? Who was she without him?

"If it's purpose you need, I might have one." Mukuro told her. "There is someone I want you to watch. And maybe, if your work is up to par, you'll get your dear Marcel back."

Runa agreed without further question. She would do whatever it took. She would report back on this Amon-Shinpi. She would follow this Hiei. She would grow stronger and learn to fight, learn to serve. She would storm the castle and bring Marcel back.

The next time they met, she would be the one opening the door.

…

Shinpi spat a phrase neither Hiei nor Runa understood. From her face it was clearly not something friendly.

"It's possible he's already dead." Hiei pointed out to Runa. "Hiro isn't going to keep around a useless man."

"He's not useless!" Runa snapped at him, fury lacing her entire being.

"She's right." Shinpi seethed. "If he has information on her, Hiro will have kept him alive. At least for a while. If nothing else, he'll use the man as bait. Marcel's only chance lies in Hiro's belief that Runa is me. He must have figured out I'd be reincarnated. He's been searching both worlds."

"He knows about your bloodline." Hiei countered. "Why would he suspect Runa?"

"He'll be overly cautious, suspecting anyone." Shinpi shook her head. "He doesn't understand how our customs work, not fully. And while Mikamoto does hold Takani blood, that doesn't mean she'd be Amon-Shinpi's reincarnation. The fact it worked out that way is truly unprecedented. He needs Mikamoto's body to produce a true heir and to get the sword. He'll need Amon-Shinpi's soul dispatched to finally feel secure."

"Mukuro's plan was to keep me close to you, especially after your trip to Sayol." Runa explained. "She knew you'd seek Hiro out and that if you left any hints, it would be best to keep them off the true trail. If I'm close to you, Hiro will continue to suspect me."

"It might work." Hiei frowned. "You must have left a few weeks before I arrived."

Runa nodded. "I arrived in Alaric while you were away."

"So, what do we do with her now?" Hiei gestured to Runa while talking to Shinpi. Then he stared at his woman and rolled his eyes. "You cannot keep her, Shinpi."

Shinpi stared at Runa with blue eyes that reflected her pain, her sorrow. When she spoke, it was not a suggestion. Hiei knew he'd already conceded to whatever this plan was from her tone.

"We train her."

* * *

"I hate this game." Kuwabara griped, glaring into the trees that surrounded Genkai's estate. They were deeper in the mountains, away from the main grounds.

"Is it because you're huge and bad at hiding?" Yusuke teased him with a smirk.

"Shut up Urameshi."

"I'm not sure I understand how a child's game is training." Hiei announced.

"I have to agree." Runa stood at attention. "How does, what did you call it?"

"Hide and seek." Kuwabara supplied with a groan.

"How does hide and seek help me?" Runa asked.

"Oh. You'll see." Shinpi smiled brightly, paintball gun pointed skyward as it rested on her shoulder. "Since three of you are new to this, I'll explain the rules. The goal is to hide from me. We'll set an initial timeline for twenty-four hours. If, after that time, I haven't found you, you win! But. If I do find you, I will shoot you with this." She brandished the paintball gun. "We will keep playing until Runa succeeds. The rest of you are free to leave anytime."

Kuwabara opened his mouth.

"Except you, Kazuma." Shinpi smiled at him. "You're stuck until I say you can go."

"You said three new players." Yusuke pointed out. "I only count two."

"Hiei will be playing too." Shinpi beamed then as Hiei grumbled. "For morale reasons."

That and Shinpi had been clear with him that if _he_ managed to catch _her_ his reward would be...aptly smirked then.

"How'd you manage that?" Kuwabara raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't worry about it." Hiei cut him off. "Set the timer, Shinpi. Let's get this over with."

She looked at her watch. "I'll give you all a one hour head start before I pick you off. Time starts now."

Even with the headstart it took Shinpi less than two hours to find Runa. Less than four to find Yusuke. She took a whole ten hours to find Kuwabara. She got Hiei as he tried to sneak up behind her.

The games continued.

By the end of a week, it was just the three of them. Kuwabara had managed to win on the second day, Yusuke the third. Runa was left alone, doing her best. Every day she lasted longer.

Hiei continued to hunt his wolf demoness. He managed to outfox her on the fifth day, sneaking up behind her on silent feet and wrapping one arm around her, his mouth pressing into the side of her neck as he smirked. The graze of his teeth against her skin had an immediate and undeniable response. She melted back into him, offering a low sound of pleasure.

"I want you."

"Soon." She promised. "Once Runa wins."

"That could be months at this rate."

"Then maybe you should help your protege." She suggested with her own smirk before kissing him. "Teach her what to do."

Hiei worked with Runa, teaching her to walk on the roots of trees so her footsteps wouldn't crunch the leaves. How to avoid leaving evidence of where she'd been, and how to fake trails to throw Shinpi off. It only took a few days and she had it.

"You walked passed me twice." Runa beamed after she'd finally won. "It was exhilarating."

"We'll turn you into a wolf yet." Shinpi nodded, patting the girl's shoulder. "Head back. Hiei and I will discuss what to do next."

"We're discussing what to do next hmm?" Hiei smirked, arms crossed over his chest as he turned to assess Shinpi. "I have a few ideas you may be open to."

"Sounds like the sort of conversation we should have in the hot springs nearby." Shinpi glanced at him with a grin. "First one there gets to be the top."

Then she was gone, Hiei stuck for a second processing her wager. Then he growled and chased after her.


	47. The Letter

**A/N: I'm aware I've been absent lately y'all. My depression and anxiety peaked recently and I felt the worst that I'd felt in months. I had a breakdown at work, announcing in tears that I was putting in my notice because I couldn't cope with it anymore. I've felt like not existing more than wanting to exist a lot lately. I've discovered my cycles have a lot to do with this and I'm setting up an appointment to address this issue.**

 **Between the exhaustion, the depression, the rock-bottom sense of self-worth and working full time I haven't found much time to write. I also haven't had the confidence to commit to writing. Even now I'm aware I'm not giving you guys enough. Not long enough chapters. Not frequent enough updates. I sincerely don't know how I'm still pulling in readers. But I want to thank those of you who are around. I appreciate that you're taking time out of your lives to follow my story.**

 **I want to update next week, but I'm not sure if I will. It's my goal.**

* * *

"I'm ready." Runa pulled her brows down imploring Hiei to accept her word.

"You're ready when I say you're ready." He responded, his tone dull. The response had become automatic over the last three weeks of her training. He partially blamed Shinpi's little game of hide and seek weeks before.

Runa had been making great strides. He wouldn't-couldn't-deny that. The subtle changes in her body alone proved her newfound dedication. Her thin arms were growing muscle. Her legs had thickened with it. Even her eyes held a more intense glow about them. He had seen her grow stronger, faster.

But ready?

Not yet.

She had yet to beat any of them in a sparring match. Sure, she was learning quickly to recover herself. She could take a beating with grace. But winning alluded her. For this, winning was the only option. She didn't seem to understand that.

She wanted to return to Alaric to prove to Mukuro she was ready to infiltrate Sayol. Hiei staunchly refused. Her argument that retrieving her Marcel didn't need to involve an altercation with hiro made no sense to him and it only proved what he already knew. She wasn't ready.

In a way, Runa was correct. There wouldn't be an altercation. Not because she was skilled enough to avoid one but because she stood no chance.

Hiro thought she might be Shinpi. That was enough of a reason for Hiei to deny her plan's brilliance. Hiro had spies throughout his land no doubt. He'd find her.

Then he'd kill her.

This was a point Shinpi had made clear to him.

"Hiro needs a Takani descendent, not my spirit. If he believes she's my reincarnation he'll butcher her without giving her an opportunity to fight." Shinpi had spoken so easily.

Hiei loathed the particular tone she took when discussing Hiro and what he'd do to her if he didn't need her. It ran of absolute fatalistic knowledge but little else. Cool facts from an empty source. He felt she should be a little more invested in her own hypothetical demise.

While her tone lacked the punch he desired, her actions did not.

Runa had dedicated herself to her training.

Shinpi had become borderline obsessed with hers. If she wasn't locked in hushed conversations with Hayato behind closed doors, or if she wasn't spouting crucial but notably dated information about Hiro, then she was training. Running through the forest for days at a time. Sparring with anyone who would give her a moment. Genkai was participating as well, helping her learn new techniques for honing her energy. Yusuke and Keiko spent many weekends up at the temple with them, discussing wedding details (Hiei lamented the fact this engagement was dragging on for so long, how could they not be married already?) and sparring.

Hiei actually enjoyed watching Shinpi manage her time. It seemed like she was in three places at once, always. Discussing details with Hayato he wasn't privy to yet. Calling vendors to haggle for meeting times, places and costs on Keiko's behalf. Cooking. Consulting with Runa. All while handling her own business.

Then again, his amusement with her ran out at times. More than once he'd had to catch her and force her to go to bed after realizing she'd been awake for several days. She was too adept at hiding her exhaustion. He often didn't fully realize her impairment until she was injured in a fight because her reaction had grown too slow. Even Kuwabara had taken her out once.

Yet still, between the training and the conversations and the forced sleep they still found time together on the odd night. Shinpi still, somehow, found subtle ways to make him a priority. She brought him food when he didn't think about eating because he was too engrossed in handling Runa. And she made a great effort to check in with him at least once a day, if not to discuss something vital then to at least say _something_ while gently touching his arm or standing close enough to him he could feel her body heat. She patched up his wounds if he sustained any from sparring.

Hiei enjoyed those breaks.

It had also come as a surprise to him none of the others had commented on their new relationship. He'd expected to want to murder the lot of them over their teasing. Yet, nothing. After the week they'd spent in the woods playing hide-and-seek he finally understood why.

Yusuke had dug an elbow into Hiei's ribs and offered a cheeky grin once they'd gotten back. The moment struck Hiei as particularly amusing because he still had marks on his shoulders from Shinpi's nails digging into his skin. But the detective words explained the silence on the matter.

"So, when are you going to stop being a little bitch and go for it with her dude?" He'd asked with that stupid lewd grin of his.

"Go for what?" Hiei deadpanned, doing his best to appear clueless.

It worked. The detective just sighed, patting his shoulder, then walked away shaking his head. Hiei smirked behind his back.

A plot formed quickly. He'd assumed he'd been fairly obvious with his recent affections. It wasn't just anyone who could rest their head on his shoulder during a group gathering in the living room. Plus, he spent a fair amount of time in Shinpi's room instead of outdoors or in his own. So that raised the question, how long could they keep the others in the dark? How obvious would he need to be for them to figure it out? Would he have to tell them? It seemed like a good enough game to play to break up the stress of the days. And his troublesome wolf was naturally all for it.

"I vote that we don't tell them at all." She had suggested with a devious grin. "Let's just keep going and see when it clicks."

"Could be a while." He'd pointed out, eyes glittering as she stepped up to him.

Her lips grazed his jaw with her next words, triggering a quick end to the discussion afterward. "I guess I'll just be your dirty little secret until then, darling."

Hiei pulled himself from the reverie of his thought as the door to the training room opened. Runa glanced toward the figure approaching them with some interest.

"Hiei, may I speak with you?" Shinpi asked without a smile. It was the way she _didn't_ look at Runa that clued him into the topic of this conversation.

She didn't look happy.

"Fine." He nodded. "Keep training Runa, your stances need work."

He ignored the grumbling his charge offered in response as he followed Shinpi into the hall. She waited to speak until the door closed behind him. No secret kiss, no casual touch for him. His face fell into an immediate frown.

This was serious.

"What did your little bird discover?" Hiei demanded as soon as he could.

Hayato had spent weeks trying to get eyes into the castle in Aishling. It was a tall task for him, given his corvids weren't welcome in the territory any longer. But he had managed something. Another detail Hiei hadn't been given.

The secrecy between Hayato and Shinpi still annoyed him but he understood its necessity. For some things, the less ears that heard of them the better.

"He hasn't reported back yet." Shinpi shook her head. Her attention fell on the closed door. "But we both know the odds of him finding Marcel alive at this point."

Hiei followed the path of her attention. "I thought you were against me telling her."

"I was. Am. That's not the point of this." An unusual fluster settled over Shinpi's face and voice. "This came for you."

She passed him a letter but when he accepted it she seemed reluctant to let it go.

They both knew the seal closing the envelope, of that he was immediately certain.

"Why would Mukuro send a letter?" Hiei mused to himself, studying the light weight of the parcel. She tended to use messengers. He raised his attention to Shinpi's silent face and the question was answered for him by her expression. The information may have been for him, but the presence of the letter for his wolf.

"Courteous of her to think of me." Shinpi offered emptily. "I'm assuming she's requesting your presence."

Hiei opened the envelope and confirmed her theory to be true.

"She wants me to leave Runa behind." His frown deepened.

Shinpi's face crumbled into a mask of thought. Then distractedly, she offered, "That's fine. I'll look after things here. I can handle Runa."

"I'll tell her now isn't the time." Hiei shook his head, pocketing the letter.

"Go." Shinpi grazed her fingertips over the curve of his cheek to gain his full attention before dropping her hand. "You have a job to do."

She was right. He wanted to argue but didn't. It bothered him that lately staying away from Alaric had become so natural, and that returning was becoming the issue. It didn't bode well for him. At least Shinpi could see it too and was in his corner. She would push him to do what he needed to do.

Even if it wasn't what either of them truly wanted.

"I'm leaving your sword." Hiei told her instead of voicing his thoughts. "This time if trouble finds you, use it."

"I was going to request it soon anyway. After all, I've beat you plenty. I deserve a reward."

Hiei smirked, stepping closer to her. "I thought I was the reward."

"You are. When you're _here_." She grinned at him slowly. "You're not exactly useful to me all the way in Alaric though, are you?"

He made a low sound. "Maybe I'll stay after all."

Shinpi tilted her face toward his, stopping a breath away from kissing him. "Go to work General of Alaric. You can claim your prize when you return."

Quickly, before he could grab her, she danced back with a cheeky smile that eased some of his worry. Breezing off the way she'd come, she stopped toward the end of the end of the hall so she could turn to him.

"I have a letter for Mukuro if you don't mind delivering it for me."

"She gets letters but I get left in the cold?" Hiei smirked. "You're far more cruel than I am, Amon-Shinpi."

"If you wanted letters darling, all you needed to do was ask." Shinpi turned once more and disappeared around a corner leaving him to smirk alone in the hall.


	48. Can You Imagine

**A/N: Short chapter, but proof that I'm alive and that I haven't forgotten about this story. I'm still dealing with some stuff, but I'm doing my best to get it under wraps. Things are moving and shaking so to speak. Thank you all for being to incredibly lovely and supportive. I read every review and message, even if I can't respond right away.**

* * *

Shinpi paced the perimeter of the temple, sword on her hips and knives strapped to both arms. Her toes were numb inside her boots, despite her thick socks. Snow _crunch-crunch-crunched_ under her every step. The sound was beginning to fray her nerves. It cut through the quiet day with no remorse or respect. Snow was bad enough by being cold and the sort of wet that clung to the bones through the skin. The sound was just uncalled for.

But if she stopped pacing she'd be even colder.

What was even the point of winter? In Shinpi's opinion winter was the mosquito of the seasons. Biting, annoying, and ultimately useless. Though winter did kill mosquitoes. Did that make it better or worse?

The sound of great beating wings drew her attention upwards, one hand thrown up to shield her eyes from the glinting sun.

"He's on his way." Hayato landed in a long stride, the transition from flight to walking a nonevent for him. He made it seem so seamless and easy.

"Good." Shinpi nodded to him.

He hesitated before questioning, "Is this wise?"

"No. Not even a little bit." She responded, bitterness seeping into her tone. "But it's happening."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you should've informed the fire demon." Hayato fell into step beside her as she restarted her path around the temple. The crunch of his feet was softer than hers, despite his size. She chalked that up to his birdlike bones.

"He'd have stopped me, or worse," Shinpi raked her fingers through her bangs, "he'd have tried to come along."

Hayato pursed his lips but said nothing.

"This is something I have to do alone." She didn't realize how distant and quiet her voice had grown. "Life is funny, isn't it old friend?"

"In it's better moments." He agreed. "I wish you would at least accept my company."

"I need you here to watch over things."

She didn't not really. Thing would be fine without him. But he didn't argue.

Shinpi withdrew the now battered parchment from her jacket pocket. She'd read it a thousand times and had a thousand different reactions. Tape glistened like ice in the wintry sun from where she'd torn the letter into pieces. Ink had smeared where her tears had fallen from anger, then sadness, then longing and pain. The creases had been worn thin from her reading it, folding it to put it away only to unfold it and read it again. The surface was wrinkled from her balling it up to throw it away only to dig it from the trash later. One corner was burnt from where she'd held it over an open flame only to change her mind at the last minute.

Ultimately, she wanted to destroy it but couldn't.

She'd been surprised when she'd received two envelopes with Alaric's seal. One for Hiei, his marching orders, and the other for her, an invitation. Or perhaps a command.

 _It_ _'s time we talked._

 _-Mukuro_

Now Shinpi reread the brief note again and had no new reaction to count. She was empty.

The topic of conversation was obvious, of course.

Hiei.

What would Mukuro say? Would she demand Shinpi leave her heir alone? Would they fight? Gods, she oped they'd fight. Not that it would solve anything. It would just feel so, so good. Her palms itched with the need to feel the wrapped hilt of her sword against her calloused skin.

"I just don't understand what you need _him_ for in all this."

"You don't trust me." Shinpi smiled then, teasing her oldest friend as she turned to him. "My, my. The truth is finally out. You doubt my judgment."

"Naturally." He kept a straight face. "Who wouldn't?"

She laughed then, and it visibly relieved Hayato. He allowed the tension to melt from his shoulders, his arms falling loose to his sides from where he'd had his hands clasped behind his back. He offered her a chuckle in return. The wind shifted around them, and Shinpi grew still, her face turned to the frigid breeze with a thoughtful look.

"He's gotten faster." She commented lightly, raising an eyebrow.

"I should mention he was elated to hear from you. I barely managed to finish making the request before he agreed to come." Hayato rolled his eyes. "Another notch in your belt I assume."

"Hardly, Hai. He's not wolf enough for me. I can't help it that he responds so strongly to my animal magnetism. You didn't tell him about Hiei did you?" She turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why would I?"

"To thwart me."

"I don't thwart you. I don't know a single man alive who is capable of such an act."

She seemed pleased with his answer, nodding.

Within minutes Katsuo appeared before them, taking Shinpi's hand in his and bringing her knuckles to his lips.

"I've missed you. I'm so glad you sent for me." He smiled at her, and Hayato audibly snorted beside her, his head turned to the side. "What can I do for you?"

Katsuo looked around, and Shinpi suppressed her grin.

"Your friend isn't here."

"Which one? I have many." She smiled at him.

"The fire demon you ran off with down the mountain." Katsuo eyed Hayato. "Did you trade up?"

"Keep being rude and I'll rip your throat out with my teeth." Shinpi continued to smile as she threatened him.

When he looked back at her, he had a sparkle in his eyes.

"Seriously?" Hayato bowed his head to whisper in her ear. "You're trusting Runa with this one?"

Shinpi merely snorted in response. "Yes, under your watchful eye of course."

Hayato glared at her. His doubt had allowed her to reaffirm why she needed him here instead of with her. With a pout he reminded himself to keep his thoughts in his head and out of his mouth.

"Katsuo, I need you to take my place here for a few days while I attend to something." Shinpi shifted in the snow as she spoke, her toes aching from the cold. The faster they got this out of the way, the fast she could defrost herself.

"I'm honored you feel I'm a suitable substitute." Katsuo grinned. "And what duties will be I be performing?"

"Babysitting." Shinpi smiled once more.

Katsuo's grin slipped off his face, his eyebrows raising as he processed her answer. "Pardon?"

* * *

"Runa, Katsuo. Katsuo, Runa." Shinpi waved a hand between where they had all congregated in the training room. "Runa is here to train and get stronger as she's barely capable of surviving on her own yet seems to be a magnet for trouble. Katsuo is the alpha of a pack up in the mountains. He's…capable."

Katsuo stared at Runa, brows down as he took in her diminutive form. She blinked back at him, head craned back slightly. They assessed one another quietly while Shinpi and Hayato watched. If Yusuke was here, he'd make a joke about having to introduce a new pet gradually to an existing one. The thought alone made Shinpi smile. Part of her longed to confess her plan to Yusuke, to ask him to join her. He'd be on her side, offering his patented follhardy commentary.

But she couldn't drag him into this. As she had repeatedly told Hayato, this was something she had to do alone.

"I don't understand." Runa and Katsuo turned to Shinpi in unison, speaking at the same time.

"Katsuo is here to train you while I'm gone. You need to learn to be a wolf, self-reliant. Hayato will be here to oversee everything." She explained. Then she focused on Katsuo with narrowed eyes. "She is to be protected at all times. If you allow her to come to harm, the things I will do to you will give Hell new ideas for torture."

He pressed his lips thin and nodded. "But what am I supposed to teach her?"

"Everything you know. She's a quick study." Shinpi shrugged. "I"ve got to go. Hai, you're in charge of the kids."

"I'll work to contain my excitement." He responded dully. "Don't die, please."

"Yeah, yeah." She waved over her shoulder as she walked out.

Runa shifted her weight foot to foot despite hearing Hiei's voice in her head scolding her for doing so. "So, your clothes are interesting."

Katsuo looked down at his tanned leather trousers tucking into his rabbit fur lined leather boots. His shirt was long sleeved and made of the same hide as his pants, though it was much lighter in color. Then he glanced at Hayato, who wore a tunic over pants. Runa wore spandex workout pants and a loose cotton top. He frowned.

"It was a cold trip." He remarked.

"Ah." Runa nodded with a forced smile. She glanced at Hayato, silently pleading for help.

Hayato lowered his face to his hands and sighed.

* * *

Mukuro walked into her chambers ready to rest for a few hours. Removing her shoes, she straightened to undo her sash before stopping. Turning slowly, she faced the figure lounging in her chair, playing a small blue throwing knife. One leg thrown over the arm of the chair, the other foot firmly on the floor. A vision of idleness.

An obvious deception.

Dark hair, dark clothes. A scarf wound around her neck and up over her head in a makeshift hood. Black soft-soled boots. Black fingerless gloves. Black sheaths holding her various knives.

And a pair of the most intense blue eyes Mukuro had ever seen. They felt dangerously familiar.

The woman was staring at her. She produced a tattered fold of paper and used two fingers to fling it through the air toward Mukuro. It landed then slid to a stop at Mukuro's feet. Keeping her eyes on the intruder, she bent to retrieve the note. Her attention raised from the paper to the woman as she read her own handwriting.

 _It_ _'s time we talked._

"I'm glad we'll finally be able to see eye-to-eye." Mukuro joked lightly, referring to the woman's short stature. "I'm not sure what I expected you to be, but I'm pleasantly surprised by what you are."

No response met her comment. Ah. So it was to be like this then.

"Why come if you aren't going to talk?" Mukuro asked with a sigh. "For that matter, how did you get in here?"

"I walked." A cold response.

"No one stopped you?" Mukuro wondered.

"No one saw me."

Silence again. And then Shinpi unfurled from the chair. She began to examine the room with reserved interest. Mukuro suspected this was another ruse? Amon-Shinpi likely had already checked everything out before Mukuro had come.

"I can't sense your energy." Mukuro followed the other woman's movements with her eyes.

"Imagine that, someone keeping a powerful and likely dangerous secret from you." Shinpi did not allow her back to be exposed to the king. "I wonder what that's like."

"Amon-Shinpi," Mukuro started, already done with this affair, "I was hoping this would be behind us. This isn't why I asked you here."

"Behind us." Shinpi laughed bitterly. "You're a monster, you know that?"

"You cannot dwell on tragedy your whole life. It's a pointless thing to do."

"I wish I could kill you." Shinpi glared at her. "I wish I could erase you from existence. I wish you weren't so indispensable."

"Am I?" Mukuro tilted her head.

"Until Hiei stops adoring you." Shinpi sneered. "You should thank him for giving your life its minuscule value."

"Why do you hate me so much, Amon-Shinpi? Because I trusted you to be more intelligent than you were? Because you were too blinded by Hiro's charm to see the truth?" Mukuro's voice crackled with frustration. "What possible grudge can you hold against me?"

"You are the reason I lost my son!" Shinpi snarled. "Do not stand there and pretend you are innocent!"

"No." Mukuro's voice turned acidic and cold. " _You_ are the reason you lost your son. Would you have even listened to me if I'd doubted Hiro? You were a lovesick fool."

"You should have _tried,_ Mukuro! You saw the evil and you did nothing to stop it. You're complicit!"

"I refuse to be blamed for your shortsightedness and Hiro's blood lust."

"I can't _believe_ you!" Shinpi seethed. "Are you really so selfish and stubborn you cannot admit your part in this?!"

"I had no part in this." Mukuro leveled her with a cool stare.

"Goddammit Mukuro! Can you muster even an iota of empathy for once in your life? We were supposed to be friends!" Shinpi yelled, tears stinging her eyes as the clawed upwards from the growing lump in her throat.

Mukuro grew visibly alarmed at the sight of the tears threatening to spill from those blue eyes. She had never seen Amon-Shinpi cry. The idea of it being possible felt cursed.

"I thought we were friends. I trusted you." Shinpi lowered her voice, staring with disbelief and pain. "Worse, I told my son _he_ could trust you. If anything happened to me, I told him to find _you_. An now he's gone and I'm the one here with you."

Mukuro hadn't known that. She'd never considered nor expected it. It seemed like such a foolishly hopeful thing to believe on Amon-Shinpi's part.

"And you couldn't even be bothered to _try_ to keep him safe." Shinpi's eyes were glittering and cold. "I know your hand isn't the one that killed my boy, but your apathy is what allowed him to die."

Mukuro looked away, trying to reconcile the display of emotion with her memories of the calculated, determined woman she used to know.

"I dream about walking into that room so often I might as well be in purgatory. So no, Mukuro, this isn't behind me. It never will be because that day I lost my child, my husband, my friend and myself."

"Show me." Mukuro demanded quietly.

"Show you what?" Shinpi remained fixed in place, cloaked in the darkness of her ire and her clothes.

"Your purgatory." Mukuro stepped toward her. Shinpi visibly tensed. "Show me the hell I helped create."

Shinpi didn't bite. "Tell me why you asked me here. I'm tired of being this close to you."

"To talk. About your relationship with Hiei." Mukuro explained. "You two have grown so close in such a short amount of time."

"Don't pretend we're on good enough terms for smalltalk. I'm not using him to get to you. I never expected to want him, but here we are." Shinpi looked off to the side. "He doesn't know that I'm here and he doesn't need to."

"He gave me the letter you _wrote_. It was blank."

"I'm aware." Shinpi rolled her attention back to Mukuro. "At the time I didn't think I had anything to say. I trusted you to be intelligent enough to get my point."

"And yet you came anyway." Mukuro frowned.

"I've become a glutton for pain as of late."

"I should have warned you." Mukuro finally sighed, the unusual feeling of guilt weakening her for a moment. "I thought Hiro meant to kill _you,_ not the boy. I knew you would be able to best him. But I was wrong. I was wrong on so many things. He made fools of us both. I should have warned you and when you came back to ask for my aid, I should have gone with you."

It was more than Shinpi had expected to get from the other woman. She didn't know how to feel. Tired? Happy? Confused? She had wanted, more than anything, for Mukuro to just admit she had been wrong. To apologize. But now that it had happened she just felt like something had been taken from her. How had anger become so integral to her life? For a long while they stared at one another. Then, Shinpi sighed, exhausted.

Walking toward Mukuro she said, "There is not a day that passes that I don't wish it had been me."

She stopped in front of Mukuro, her raw pain and depleted rage openly on display. But her eyes were dry. A small miracle, Mukuro decided.

"I'll show you." Shinpi told her quietly, lost and empty and wishing she had the strength to forgive and to also remain whole. "I'll show you so that maybe you'll dream of him too."


	49. Kintsugi

**A/N: Hey guys! I did it! I wrote a chapter! I** **'m actually pretty pleased with this. O-Dragon, my home girl, really helped me out with getting my inspiration under wraps and with this chapter specifically. I know some of you have expressed excitement in regards to The Tournament that was a part of The Reborn Forgotten, but I've decided that is not how this story will play out. It just didn't make the cut.**

 **But fret not, darlings, for there will still be fighting a** **'plenty. Plus, more intrigue than ever!**

 **Behold, the fruits of my labor. Also, thank you all so much for you continued support and your kind words. I have greatly appreciated all of it. I** **'m on new meds, have a psychiatrist, a new diagnosis, and a new promotion. Everything is coming up Milhouse at the moment! The tides will turn eventually, but I feel far more capable of enduring them when they do than I have in over a year. I love you all, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

It was late. The hushed meanderings of the night guard shuffling through the halls echoed off the stone walls. Mukuro sat on the floor, leaning against the front of her chair, a half full glass at her side too warm now to be enjoyable. Shinpi's glass was empty, though it had been filled three times more than Mukuro's. The dark haired of the pair lounged languidly in the chair, her hand on Mukuro's head, fingers working through copper strands of cropped hair.

It was such an oddly intimate thing to happen, Mukuro thought. It was as if time had never passed. The room smelled of rain and earth and trees and sorrow. Like the scent of a wet forest as the weather turns cold. It was oddly specific and painfully familiar. For a long time now, Amon-Shinpi had been quiet. In a past life, Mukuro would have assumed the woman was scheming. She had been so conniving in her youth. But no, the air was poisoned with mourning, burdened with grief. The idle movements of Amon-Shinpi's fingers were not to cajole Mukuro, they were merely to remind herself that she existed in a physical form.

Meanwhile, Mukuro was forced to understand a mother's pain for the first time. The loss of Kin Jiro, it radiated through her bones and blood. It had frozen her and heated her and somehow annihilated her entire sense of self for a moment. That was what it was to exist in Amon-Shinpi's mind, with that memory.

She had been right, it was purgatory.

"Does Hiei know?" Mukuro finally dared to cut through the silence that had enveloped them.

"Naturally." Shinpi responded. "He wrenched it out of me along with all my pain. He knows more about me than I do myself most days."

"He has that unusual effect on people." Mukuro muttered, understanding all too well. She turned to stare at Amon-Shinpi's face, and the other woman allowed her idle hand to fall out of copper strands. "You haven't asked about him."

"He's patrolling the border, looking for a menace who isn't there. I know exactly where he is." Shinpi remarked, lifting her glass to her lips only to pull it away again once she realized it was empty. Mukuro offered her own and watched as she swallowed the contents. "You taught me to never rely on others for pertinent information about anyone I care for."

"How long will you keep needling me?" Mukuro flattened her expression.

"Until the sun dies, likely." Shinpi studied the glass in her hand as if were a precious gem.

"And I suppose you found a way to occupy Runa?"

"She's studying the ways of her heritage under a worthy guide."

"And that means?"

"I asked a favor of an alpha who is halfway in love with me." Shinpi smiled then. "Maybe he'll latch onto her instead of me now."

"Hiei said you were intent on helping Runa get closure. He thought it was foolishly romantic of you, considering the likelihood that her friend is dead." Mukuro rose to her feet. She batted Shinpi's leg off the arm of her chair so she could move to perch on it. It meant they were both occupying the same space. Another moment of strange intimacy. "What do you get out of this?"

"Marcel might be dead, but he might be alive. And if we manage to spare him, then that's one less heart broken by my mistake." Shinpi sighed heavily. "But, on a less foolishly romantic note, Hiro believes Runa is me. As long as that remains true he will be looking for _her_. That means I'm free of suspicion."

"Ah, so you are still the devious spirit I remember."

"Sometimes." Shinpi allowed. Then with a crooked smile. "More often than not, really."

"It's been nearly half a century since I've seen you smile. I didn't realize I would miss it." Mukuro smiled back easily. "You are so different from the woman you used to be, Amon-Shinpi. Different from when we first met on that dune, with hatred burning in your eyes and different from the last time I saw you, worn through and vengeful."

Shinpi nodded.

"I have to ask though, do you ever forget how small you are? It must be a shock from time to time." Mukuro's lips twisted into a wry expression as she received a dirty look from the other woman. "What was it like being a powerless human child? Did you still get into trouble as often as possible? Why haven't you taken the measures to get your old body back? Do you even want it?"

"Someone is brimming with curiosity." Shinpi stared at Mukuro without much an expression. "What's it matter to you?"

"You're my first reincarnated demon, Amon-Shinpi. A valuable specimen." Mukuro reached forward and very carefully lifted a length of Shinpi's dark hair before allowing it to slip over and through her fingers as if it was silk. "It's all very fascinating, you have to admit."

"I have to do nothing." Shinpi huffed. She turned her face away, doing her best to look aggravated. "It's been a trial to say the least. And what measures would I take, exactly? The only cure for my condition is a fruit so rare I fear it's gone extinct because of Kurama's needs."

"Have you contacted that obnoxious clown? He's the one who created the elixir in the first place." Mukuro suggested lightly.

"I'd have to explain why I need it. That's one more person who would know who I am. One more potential traitor."

"So then, you'll just live out your life as something in between mortal and demon? Have you discussed this with Hiei?"

"Hiei knows who I am."

"But does he know you intend to stay that way?" Mukuro raised her eyebrow. "He admires your spirit, Amon-Shinpi, but what life will you two build together if he has to come to grips with the fact he'll only lose you in a few short decades?"

Shinpi said nothing, scowling down to the side. It was something that had occurred to her, but she didn't want Mukuro to know. Her doubts were supposed to be hers alone.

"Well, at least you won't have any children to leave behind. I suppose that's a comfort to both of you." Mukuro spoke casually, waving a hand through the air to dismiss the very idea.

"How would you know I don't want children?" Shinpi glared at her. "I don't, but it seems rude of you to assume."

"I figured if you were with Hiei that it was something you'd have given up on, considering his sterility." Mukuro rolled her eyes. "It's a hallmark of his heritage, as you know."

Shinpi stared at her, unblinking and unmoving. Her face gave away nothing, but that was exactly what tipped Mukuro off to her grievous mistake.

"You," Mukuro licked her lips, "you didn't know."

"It's fine." Shinpi pulled away, leaving the chair entirely to stand beside it. Mukuro watched her with an expression of remorse.

"You said he knew everything about you, I assumed he-"

"I said it's fine." Shinpi snapped at her. "But perhaps you should be so loose with other people's secrets."

"If I had known it was a secret, I would have been more careful. Anyone else and I would have said nothing. But it's _you_."

"Hiei and I both still keep secrets, Mukuro. When he's ready, he will tell me his." Shinpi frowned at her.

"I'll talk to him, tell him this isn't something he should keep fr-"

"You'll do no such thing!" Shinpi was there in a blink, hands on Mukuro's knees as she leaned over the opposite arm of the chair, her eyes alive with warning. "If you start spouting off to him about what he should be telling me, he'll know I was here."

"It seems unfair for him to harbor his secrets from you when you've apparently opened up yours to him."

"He'll come to me when he's ready." Shinpi reasserted. "And when he does, it'll mean everything because it will be his choice. I don't want outside interference in this."

"Even if the interference could save a life?" Mukuro asked pointedly.

"Tell you what. If it comes down to life or death, you can spill all the secrets you want. But until that point, keep your pretty little mouth shut."

"Ah, there she is again, that sharp-tongued demoness I used to know."

"I hate you." Shinpi responded dully.

"I hate you too." Mukuro smiled. "Do you want another drink?"

Begrudgingly, and with a scowl, Shinpi crossed her arms before saying, "Yes. And a place to sleep since you drug me out here."

"I asked to speak, I didn't force you to come."

"You're being a very poor host, Mukuro. I always accommodated you when you came to visit."

"You stole my arm on our first meeting and put it on display in your castle, even after we were allies."

"I'll steal this one too, if you don't put me up for the night. You have to sleep sometime."

Mukuro laughed. In the back of her mind, she was thankful Hiei was out on patrol so he couldn't hear this. But then again, the expression on his face if he saw the two of them together would be priceless. She glanced at Amon-Shinpi and thought better of it. But, this conversation had given her an idea for a token of goodwill that would reveal nothing of this meeting.

* * *

Hayato stared over the white expanse that was the backyard of the temple. He stayed on the covered walkway that wound around the temple's outer perimeter, arms crossed over his chest and a look of utter annoyance deepening his frown. Honestly, what had Hichi been thinking, leaving him here with these two? Runa was a mess of instincts, desperately trying to win the approval of Katsuo while also trying to appear uninterested. He could practically see Hiei and Hichi warring within her.

One voice saying 'Do it, little wolf' and the other 'Stand on your own'. The two ideas shouldn't be mutually exclusive, but it was clear that the young pup had yet to learn how to reconcile them.

And then there was _Katsuo_.

This guy.

Hayato had to take breaks from him frequently. All he did was shower Hichi with praise, even though she wasn't there to hear it, and try to pry information from her second in command. He doted on Runa the way one would a little sister. They were currently playing a spirited game of tag to improve her reflexes, dashing through the snow and ducking around one another. Katsuo laughed a lot, smiling.

Maybe that was what annoyed Hayato about him, he considered, his endlessly jovial spirit.

It was hard to feel such ardent joy these days. It had been for a while.

Gods, he wished Hichi would just come to her senses. He missed her. He wanted to fight by her side again, fight for her again. Together they could march back to Sayol, overtake Hiro and he could finally see her reclaim the throne. Hell, he'd even allow the fire demon to come too. At least Hiei was usefully cynical. A voice of reason.

Hayato could use the extra help, as Hichi needed all the extra reason she could be offered.

His frown turned into a scowl.

It was a dark day indeed when he considered Hiei a man of merit. What had the world come to?

"Maybe you two should stop playing around and do something meaningful with your time?" Hayato suggested.

"Do you know how to train a pup to be a successful wolf?" Katsuo asked him, still grinning like a fool.

"Enlighten me." Hayato drolled.

"You play with them. You let them hunt you and beat you, catch you and you encourage them." The alpha beamed.

Hayato felt the cold burrow into his bones and he suspected it had little to do with the winter air. A memory swam up from the protected depths of his mind. Hichi dancing around a wobbly Kin Jiro, still too young to truly talk but big enough to awkwardly chase her.

" _It's the best way to teach him. It's how I learned._ " _Hichi grinned._ _"Look at him, Hai. He's getting steadier every single day. Someday I'll be the one trying to catch up to him."_

Hayato looked away from Katsuo, that memory stealing his strength for a moment. This had all gone so terribly wrong. He missed Kin, he missed Hichi, he missed Kuya and Kichirou and Aiofe. He missed his adoptive family and it hurt his chest to even remember them. It all made the new wall between himself and Hichi feel that much thicker. They had been so close once. And now…

* * *

Shinpi had woken up next to Mukuro, having shared the king's bed during the night to avoid being spotted by any of the castle's staff. Now, Mukuro was gone doing whatever is was that she did during the day. The city outside the stone walls bustled and glowed, a hazy beacon lighting up the hazy red-clay colored sky.

She had waited until the edges of the horizon had grown dark to flee down the winding halls of the castle. The cover of darkness was her friend in these ventures. Barely outside the limits of Alaric's borders, her communicator when off in the inner pocket of her coat. Already emotionally depleted and not looking forward to dealing with whatever mess waited for her back at the temple, she answered the call without removing the shawl from around the lower half of her face. She said nothing, merely stared at Koenma's face and waited for him to speak.

"Are you already in Demon World?" He asked her, blinking.

A dull stare answered his question.

"Right. Well, we got wind of another camp. Go handle it, please. It's far too close to a weak spot between the worlds. I'm worried they might be trying to smuggle their quarry over to Human World." He explained. "I'll send you the coordinates."

Shinpi nodded, listened intently and changed her direction.

Honestly, as annoying as the interruption had felt, it couldn't have come at a more apt moment. Shinpi wasn't looking forward to dealing with Katsuo or having to live up to Runa's idolizing or dancing around Hayato's expectations. A long evening of hunting down and annihilating her enemies without remorse or hesitation would do wonders for her disposition.

* * *

Hiei bit at the chance to face the one man wrecking crew that had been laying waste to the boundary encampments. He didn't particularly care that the demons were being slaughtered. It should have been obvious what would happen when the king had failed to keep the rogues in line. Eventually someone was bound to step up and since Spirit World couldn't, it made sense a demon would. Some of them truly liked the status quo.

He caught glimmers of the figure through the minds of the demon's victims. A thrill of fear, pain, and darkness. That's all he had to work with. Whoever this demon was, they were either very good or they were camouflaging themselves somehow. He had to be ready for anything.

He would have used the dragon to lay waste to the entire area but his near-miss a few weeks before had infuriated him beyond reason. It was an easy choice to end this wretch's life up close and personal. He wanted to see the failure's face before they died. Then he could go home to Shinpi and finally tell her this nonsense had been dealt with.

He used every trick he had in his arsenal to sneak into the camp, his footsteps silent. His presence was cloaked and he found the demon after a few minutes. They spun, facing him with a wide stance that planted their feet wide apart. They meant to accept the brunt of his anger?

Hiei almost let loose the bitter laugh in his chest but his attention was pulled to the side, where he noticed they were actually staring. Not at him.

"Do you know how much the bounty on you is?" More demons began to pour from the woodwork.

No movement from the figure enshrouded in black. And then they took a step back, as if they were about to flee.

"Get lost." Hiei announced himself, glaring at the hoard. "You're outclassed. I can tell without even sensing their energy."

"What are you doing here, General?" One of the demons demanded.

"I'm here for him." Hiei nodded toward the figure, his eyes growing dark. "And if anyone is going to kill that creature, it's me."

"Then we have a problem."

" _You_ have a problem." Hiei snarled. "I have a demon to beat to death with my bare hands."

The heavy sound of a body dropping to the ground spun Hiei around. He hadn't even noticed the demon moving to attack him from behind, but now he studied it's lifeless form, an arrow pierced through it's temple. His eyes jerked over to the demon in black, who studied the encroaching hoard with narrowed eyes. Again, he looked ready to flee, but something seemed to keeping him in place.

"Don't you dare!" Hiei growled. "I'm not letting you escape this time!"

Pandemonium, that's what followed. Hiei lunging for the spritely figure in black, who weaved away from him through the bodies of the mass who'd come to take the menace down. The demons around them all took swings at Hiei and his prey, both of whom struck down all comers while also going after one another. It was a dance, Hiei realized. He lunged, the demon flitted back, then they both spun around each other to take out whichever poor fool tried to intervene.

An arrow through the chest for a demon who made to rush Hiei from the side. Evisceration for the unlucky bastard who attempted to sink his talons into the shoulder of the black clad figure. Then a knife wound to the shoulder for Hiei, as he wrapped his hand around a surprisingly delicate throat. The demon rolled with him, straddling his chest to take out another attacker with an arrow. Hiei rolled them again, sword biting into the ground by the demon's ear, cutting the outer edge just slightly.

That was when he noticed, for the first time, that the demon's eyes weren't the dark pits of brown he'd recalled but a blazing, lively blue.

He knew that color, that delicate fringe of lashes, that soft almond shape.

And his body did what it did best whenever he was this close to Shinpi, especially during a heated fight: It betrayed him.

Distracted by the sudden truth of who he had been ruthlessly hunting, he didn't see the last demon until it attacked him, wrapping an arm around his throat from behind and lifting him off Shinpi. Hiei was thrown through the air, landing so roughly on the ground that he bounced twice. Gritting his teeth, he moved to his hands and knees, glaring at the offender. Shinpi had recovered herself, and she let loose the most animalistic snarl he'd ever heard her produce before she used a throwing knife to slice through the meat behind the demon's knee. It fell to a kneel with a howl of pain, Shinpi took a moment to assess Hiei and he knew it was to make sure he would get up.

Then she was gone.

He dispatched the final attacker before formulating a plan.

Now that he knew what was going on, he just needed the perfect confrontation to call Shinpi out. Deviously, he went to scheming. It would be best to take a few days, so she would think she was safe. Then he would go to her and shatter that false sense of security and make her promise to never keep a secret like this from him again.

* * *

Shinpi had conned Hayato into going with Katsuo and Runa up to the wolf's mountain home. She just needed some time alone, to think. Parsing through her trip to Mukuro's and her run in with Hiei had proven to be an energy consuming task. The sky above her was swollen with winter, gray and threatening. The cold had turned her nose red and her cheeks to chapped messes, despite the scarf wound around her face. All she wanted was to get home, get warm and read a book.

She should have known that was too much to ask.

His voice sent on her edge immediately as Shinpi walked into the house, whether it was because it was him or because she hadn't sensed his presence Hiei wasn't sure. But he enjoyed the tension that straightened her spine none the less.

"I thought I'd check in with you." Hiei announced and Shinpi stopped as she took off her shoes before casting a dubious glance toward the kitchen entryway where he very suddenly leaned. He made no effort to hide the wound she'd given him, the sleeves of his tank top cut a little thinner than usual as if to purposefully expose the injury.

"Are you alright?" She nodded toward the sore spot on his shoulder and he glanced at it then back to her.

"I've had worse." He assured her.

"It's nice to see your face." Shinpi breezed past him into the kitchen and tossed her keys onto the table. "Are you hungry?"

"Ravenous." Hiei slammed the refrigerator closed when she tried to open it, fingers splayed over the door's surface while his other arm gripped the counter, boxing the woman in.

"I can't cook if I can't get to the food, Hiei." She turned in the cage he'd made with his body and faced him.

"I want something from up there." He looked up the top of the cabinet they were standing in front of.

Shinpi swallowed, then nodded and turned her back to him, having to hoist one knee onto the counter, her other foot balancing on tip toe as she stretched to reach the food on the top shelf. Of course Hiei would want her good snacks. The bastard. And then her hand closed on the shelf itself for support as hot fingers slid under her shirt and followed the line of her spine to the tender bruise at the base of her ribs.

"That looks mean." Hiei commented lightly, then laid his palm over the bruise. His teeth grazed the shell of her ear, "How did you get it?"

"Sparring." She answered easily.

It wasn't a lie. Hiei didn't move back, his hand sliding higher along the skin of her back and it made her grow still. The next bruise smarted as he skimmed his fingertips over it. It occurred to her that he hadn't lifted up her shirt and there was no way he could have seen the marks through the material.

"And this one?" He asked against her ear. When she didn't offer up any more pale excuses, he smirked and still refused to give her space. "You've been misbehaving, Shinpi, spending your nights the way you have."

She didn't deny it.

"Aren't you going to rave and yell and tell me I'm mistaken?" He asked her in a rough voice.

"I don't want to lie to you." Her voice came out low, cool. "Are you done?"

"For now." He retracted finally, and only barely, and it allowed her to breath without being smothered in his scent. "Do the others know?"

"Yusuke does." She answered him. "You weren't supposed to find out."

"Too bad I'd recognize those eyes anywhere." He told her. "What are you thinking? If Spirit World finds out-"

She laughed, cutting him off. "Who do you think is sanctioning this?"

He stared at her, surprised by her outburst.

"Sit down, Hiei. Allow me to put that dark heart of yours at ease with a full explanation." She glanced at his wound. "And while I'm at it, I'll heal that."

"Don't bother. It's fine." He stopped her hand as she reached for him.

"It'll scar." She protested.

"Good." Hiei squeezed her hand and then released her. "It'll remind me to take you seriously."

He still didn't allow her to enough space to move, hovering just on the edge of her comfort zone. She wondered if he was fully aware of how much his intention was rolling off of him. Her face felt warm, and not from embarrassment. Hiei looked caught between emotions for a moment before he seemed to come to some conclusion.

"You'll explain yourself after." He announced, as if they'd had a conversation about what would happen next.

"After?" Shinpi tilted her head.

He smirked at her, closed the distance between their bodies and purred against her lips, "Since I can't kill the bastard menace that's been plaguing me, I think I'm owed a different outlet for my frustrations."

She went to say something smart, he could feel it in his gut, so he cut her off with a kiss, hard, hungry, and deep. Shinpi seemed to forget what ever she was going to say, melting into the kiss immediately. Hiei didn't pull back until her nails scraped his scalp as she curled her fingers in his hair, her body melding into his frame, as if the meager space between them was as wide as an ocean. Her hands drug down from his hair to his shirt, gripping the material with desperation. Truly he only pulled back to make another demand.

"Tear it." He murmured, moving his mouth to the curve of her jaw, the line of her neck.

Shinpi didn't need to be told twice, the fabric insubstantial as tissue paper to her hands. That display of strength and primal need was Hiei's true undoing.

They didn't make it farther than the kitchen floor before they were completely entangled in one another.

* * *

It felt like a lifetime later when they finally sat at the kitchen table together, both adjusting the to the outpouring of truth Shinpi had offered by way of explanation. Shinpi fixated on her cup of tea as if she were pulling the future from it's depths. Maybe she was. Hiei still wasn't fully convinced she wasn't psychic in one way or the other. While she looked down, he looked at her, ignoring his own tea in favor of studying the depths of her expression.

"Koenma sent you into danger, knowing that if you got caught you'd be jailed for life. Or worse." He finally told her, tone cold. "And you agreed, all for the sake of a favor you might not even need."

"I will need it." Shinpi finally met his penetrating gaze. "Hiro will not go down quietly, Hiei. I'll need all the help I can get."

"You have me."

She sighed heavily, without speaking telling him he didn't actually understand.

"Why isn't that enough?" Hiei demanded. "Why isn't my help enough? The team's help? We would go to war at your side, Shinpi, and instead you lie to all of us and pull dangerous stunts to form alliances with a world that would sooner see you dead than victorious."

"Hiei." It was a warning, soft but firm. "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's the decision I made."

"Well, unmake it. I don't like you out there, throwing yourself to the wolves alone. What if someone other than me decides to hunt you down? What if they succeed?" He placed both his hands on the table's surface and leaned forward. "There are plenty of demon's as strong or stronger than us, Shinpi."

"I know that." She assured him. "Trust me, Hiei, I know."

"Do you? Then why?"

"This is exactly why I didn't want you to know." She told him with a burdened sigh, looking down to her tea again. She sounded tired, as if they'd had this same conversation a thousand times.

Hiei realized then, that in her head, they had. And she knew how he'd react. How many times had she rehearsed this only to figure out nothing she could say would make him understand? How many scenarios had she run through until she'd finally convinced herself that silence was her only option?

He also realized that she said she didn't want him to know, not that she didn't want to tell him.

That made it better and worse, knowing that she had wanted to be honest but felt she couldn't be. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was that she trusted him so much she knew how he'd react.

"It was fun watching you get frustrated." Shinpi changed the subject, trying to lighten the tone of their conversation. "It was so hard not laughing while you ranted, especially in the beginning. And damn, was it fun to fight you when you didn't know it was me. Getting to see you without restraint, feel that unbridled energy, I can't even express what it made me feel."

"We've been holding back on each other." Hiei agreed, softening his voice to try to round off the edges Shinpi had grown throughout the conversation. She was reacting to his sharpness with her own, he knew. It was just so hard not to yell and argue when it was her life on the line. "But don't change the subject, Shinpi."

"You've made it quite clear we aren't having a conversation, Hiei." She pushed away from the table. "I don't want to fight with you, not right now."

She walked away and he let her, his eyes moving down to look over the cup she'd so carefully cradled between her palms. It was then he saw the hairline fractures marring the surface of the cup, beads of jasmine tea sliding through and trailing down to the table. How tightly she must've been holding onto it, but with enough restraint to not outright shatter the ceramic. The sound of her bedroom door closing lifted Hiei's attention to the ceiling. He grabbed the cup from the table and marched out of the house, allowing the front door to slam shut behind him.

* * *

Shinpi's lights were off when Hiei slipped in through her window. The front door had been locked, and despite having a key, he found himself entering the house like a common burglar.

Wasn't too far from the truth, he supposed.

The house was dark, quiet, but Shinpi was not asleep. He could tell from the was burrowed further into her pillows when he stepped onto her desk. She'd cleared it off as if she'd expected him. The sound of her sniffling made him steady himself.

She'd been crying.

Was it possible to smell the scent of tears? He felt like he could, then. It hung heavy in the air, a perfume of pain and confusion and self-loathing. Maybe it stuck out to him because those emotions had been his for so long.

"We're not done talking." Hiei spoke, sliding off the desk to the floor. He walked over to the bed and stood beside it. "I know you're awake."

"I don't want to lie to you." Shinpi hadn't been crying, he realized. She _was_ crying.

He leaned over, placing a hand on her pillow and pressed his forehead to her temple. "I don't want you to lie, either. I didn't make it easy for you to tell me the truth, I understand that. You have to understand, though, what I feel when I think of you rushing headlong into disaster this way. It's reckless."

"You want to talk _at_ me, not with me." Shinpi told him, refusing to look at him at all when he pulled back. "Scold me all you want, Hiei. It will change nothing. I'm used to people being disappointed in my decision making at this point. All I can hope is that it won't get you killed like everyone else."

"There it is." Hiei sat on the bed, pulling an object out of his pocket to fiddle with.

"There what is?"

"The truth, finally."

Shinpi shifted, rolling over to look at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You're scared." Hiei told her. "Scared of making another mistake. Scared of trusting the wrong people, or maybe yourself, too much. I'm not that easy to kill, Shinpi. Have more faith in me."

"You don't understand." She at up, even in the darkness able to pick out Hiei's profile. "This isn't about faith, Hiei."

"Then what is it about?"

Her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms winding around them over her blanket. The over-sized neck of her too-big nightshirt slipped off her left shoulder, revealing a plateau of skin marred with the bruises Hiei had left with his mouth and not his hands.

"I can't lose anyone else, Hiei." She spoke with unrestricted pain, her voice raw. "I can't lose _you_."

"I'm trying to tell you that you won't." He tried to keep his frustration from leaking into his tone to little avail.

"Only a fool thinks themselves invincible, Hiei. I should know." Taking a deep breath, Shinpi finally chose her statements. "You're right, there are those out there who greatly out power us."

Hiei waited for her to continue, studying her expression through the darkness they both bathed in.

"The encampment's on the border are Hiro's. They are manufacturing the substance you all encountered when you had to rescue me." Shinpi went on. "I've been taking them out and destroying all the stockpiles I can find."

"Sounds like something that would be easier with two people." He pushed.

"No." She stared at him, and the blue of her eyes seemed to shine in a way he'd never noticed before. A glint that human eyes didn't know how to offer. "I will not allow you to endanger yourself by joining this fight."

"Bold of you to assume you get to allow me to do anything." Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"Hiro isn't working alone, Hiei." The truth took him aback. "And whoever he is working for, it's one of those demons who is more powerful than us. Smarter than me. Two steps ahead and apparently a ghost. I've been trying to track this mastermind and they keep alluding me. It's like grasping for smoke."

"Hiro has an accomplice?" Hiei asked her, forgetting for a moment how insane it was that she would want to face this villain alone. "When did you find out?"

"I've suspected for a while now, but it was confirmed a during my last raid. The one you happened on. The leader of the camp told me that Hiro was an imposter, that someone was behind him pulling all the strings. This mystery demon wants me as dead as Hiro does." Shinpi explained. "Until I learn more, I can't put you at risk. There just isn't enough information to make a plan, to figure it all out. I'm chasing shadows, Hiei, and until I find the body they belong to I don't want you involved."

"What if they find you before you find them?" He asked her sternly.

"Then they face me on ground I know, and I will have the advantage." She told him.

"Is that what you're calling me now? Advantage?" Hiei dared her to argue with him. "You're not alone anymore, Shinpi, you don't get to face these battles by yourself. Didn't we say we were committing to this thing together? A team?"

"Isn't a team's job to protect each other?" She begged him. "I'm terrified of being the reason you die, Hiei. Please, just give me more time. Once I know more, I'll tell you. Then we can make an actual plan."

He sat there stewing in that compromise for a few minutes. Shinpi itched from the tension. She wanted to reach out and graze her fingers over his shoulders, wrap her arms around him and bury her face in shoulder. But instead she chewed her lip and dug her nails into the back of her hand, eyes unfocused. Nothing came back to reality until she felt a calloused thumb gently release her lip from between her teeth.

"Team's work together." He stared into her eyes. "The next time you have to embark on one of these ridiculous missions, send me the coordinates so I can watch over you when I'm able. I can't promise I'll do it every time, and I doubt you'd want me to. But I trust you to tell me when you might be in real danger. Trust me to only intervene if it's necessary."

"I don't deserve you." The words rolled off her tongue without hesitation or permission. Both of their eyes widened at the awed outburst.

"Don't ever say that to me again." Hiei growled at her, completely serious. "Never."

Shinpi's lips pressed closed, two bobs of her head acknowledging that command. Then, loosening his shoulders, Hiei finally handed her the whole reason he'd been gone.

"What's this?" She asked.

"Your teacup. You broke it. I found someone to repair it." Hiei told her, and that was when Shinpi noticed the lines of the cup had been filled with a metallic bonding agent. "It's your favorite cup, you always drink from it."

"Repairing something and making it more beautiful at the same time." Shinpi melted, cradling it to her chest. "Hiei, you are sincerely one of the most thoughtful men I've ever met."

He snorted at that admission. "You don't exactly have outstanding taste to begin with so that's not the compliment you think it is."

"Thank you." Shinpi smiled. "I mean it, Hiei."

Hiei glanced at her, and once again huffed. "Whatever. You're welcome. I just didn't want you to sulk tomorrow when you realized what you'd done. As usual I'm picking up after your messes."

"I'll work on not leaving them for you." She teased, then lightly she asked, "Did you want to sleep beside me tonight?"

"Yes." He kicked off his boots and left them where they fell so he could crawl onto the bed beside her. She moved the cup to her dresser before snuggling back under the covers and against his side. "No more crying when you should be talking to me."

Shinpi kept her smile hidden by closing her eyes and keeping her head on his chest. "Sir, yes sir."


	50. It Begins

**This chapter did not turn out as long as I thought it would be, but I'm still very happy with how it came out. I'm also happy it didn't take me two months to make this happen.**

 **You guys have been absolutely amazing to me over the duration of this story. Your kind words and messages and reviews truly have helped me through some really dark times. I'm so thankful to have written this story, if for not other reason, than the fact it has allowed me to interact with so many of you. Thank you. I appreciate you all so much.**

* * *

"Don't go." Shinpi stretched against Hiei's chest, a lazy, sleepy smile on her face. "It's so early and we haven't even truly made up yet."

"I'm not supposed to be here. I have to get back." Hiei told her quietly. "I have to go."

"Now?" She tipped her head up, skimming her breath along his jawline. "You don't have time to tell me goodbye?"

Hiei groaned, caught between two duties. Then finally, he closed his eyes and collapsed his head against the pillow. "Shinpi, I have to go. I'll be back."

After a moment she shuffled off of him before swinging her feet to the floor. Hiei watched her stretch her arms over her head, then pop her back. When she was on her feet, she looked back at him as he continued to lounge for a second.

"At least share a cup of coffee with me before you go."

It wasn't a suggestion, he could tell by her tone. Nodding, he accepted her demand. "One cup."

Both of their attentions were jerked to the dresser when a beeping shrilly cut through their conversation. They both spent a second of their morning staring at the communicator.

"You should get that." Hiei was in front of Shinpi, handing her the device with a smug grin. "Your other life is calling."

With a glare she flipped open the mirror and turned her gaze to Koenma. "It's early. What?"

"Come here. Now." Koenma offered no pleasantries.

Hiei stood behind the open device, watching Shinpi's face contort into annoyance. Without responding she closed the mirror and heaved a frustrated sigh.

"Still have time for that coffee?" Hiei asked her, reaching down for his boots. He slid them on while waiting for a response.

"No. I don't." Shinpi raked her fingers through her bangs, then she growled, spinning around. "When he says now, he means now. I'm already late."

Hiei frowned behind her as she stalked to the bedroom door and ripped it open. Standing on the threshold she paused. Then she backtracked to him, grabbed him roughly by the shirt and yanked him to her mouth. Pulling back, she spoke against his lips. "Be safe, darling. Come back to me in one piece."

* * *

Shinpi looked around the expansive room she'd been brought to. Her head craned back so she could scan the ceilings that felt as far away as the sky itself. The wood under her feet was hard, her steps had echoed even as quiet as they normally were. She could get used to walking like thunder. Spinning slowly, she examined everything her eyes landed on. A throat cleared behind her, a deep and aggressive sound begging for her attention. Out of spite, she didn't answer to the passive command. Her back remained turned.

An act of defiance she might come to regret, but one she would stand by.

"How arrogant must you be?" That voice boomed around her.

It wasn't intentional, the dangerous smile she offered as she turned to face the king of kings. Of course, she probably didn't look very menacing to the being leering over her. He did offer an immense presence, King Enma.

"Not so arrogant that I'd raise the dead." She spoke to him, then offered a bow. "I'm afraid I don't know how to address you. I had never expected to meet you, mainly because before this life I didn't even know you existed."

King Enma glared down at her.

"You summoned me." She pressed when he didn't address her. "Surely not just to look upon perfection."

"You were brought here for a reason." He loomed over her in his throne.

Shinpi stared up at him with her feet apart and planted firmly, chin raised to so she could look at his face.

"And what might that be?" She asked him carefully.

"You never asked about your body." Enma's smile was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She hoped she never saw anything like it again.

* * *

Hiei arrived at the castle with more than the usual swagger to his walk, waltzing into Mukuro's room as if he owned the place. Mukuro greeted him with an arched brow that melted down into a knowing look as she scanned her gaze over him.

"Looks like someone got what he wanted." She remarked, leaning back in her chair as the technician fiddled with what appeared to be a new arm. Hiei took stock of the change of appendage then moved his attention back to her face.

"Sort of." He allowed, eyes dipping back down to glue to the careful but intent ministrations of the technician's fingers against the smooth surface of the new arm. "What happened to your old one?"

"Don't worry about it." Mukuro brushed off his curiosity. "Did you finally catch your spectre?"

"Yes." Hiei left it at that.

"Was it everything you hoped it would be?"

"Better." Hiei grinned then, dark and fiery. "I've been thoroughly sated by the outcome."

"Good. So I can assume then, you're ready to dedicate yourself to Runa's training instead of chasing shadows?"

The technician offered a feminine chuckle at that, casting Hiei a gleefully mischievous look. Then she turned back to Mukuro, patting the king's hand gently.

"You're all set your majesty. If you need any tweaks in the adjustment period, just let me know. It is a prototype after all. I can be here anytime of day or night." She smiled, a twinkle in her eye and a promise woven between her words.

"It being a prototype, I suppose that means I will need to check in with you more often." Mukuro smiled back.

"If you wish. You are the king, I wouldn't dare to presume to give you orders. Even if they are to see me."

"Thank you, Misha."

Hiei waited for Misha to leave before smirking at Mukuro.

"You lack subtlety." He announced. "Perhaps it would be easier for you if you just claimed her next time? It would save the hassle of having to make an appointment."

"Speaking of claiming women, how is our favorite wolf demoness?" Mukuro flexed the hand of her new mechanical arm. To Hiei it look oddly futuristic, like something out of one of the games Shinpi played or maybe from one of the movies she watched when she couldn't sleep. Smooth, shaped like an actual arm. Fingers formed like fingers as they curled into her palm with heavy consideration.

"Contrary as ever." The response came easily. "But also, more dedicated than I've ever seen her. Before I left she was practically killing herself with training."

"Sounds about right for that one." Mukuro offered a sage nod. "When she's stressed it's hard for her to sit still."

"I've noticed." Hiei rolled his eyes. Being told the obvious was a waste of time.

"So let's hear it. Your full report on your victory." Mukuro looked over at Hiei with a glimmer in her eye. "I want all the gruesome details of how you defeated this ghost you've been chasing. Make sure it sounds like it's worth all the time you've spent on this."

* * *

"Are you alright?" Kurama swept an attention glance over Shinpi's posture and expression as they sat next to one another.

Her eyes seemed to be staring at something not truly there amongst them. Despite the grave chill, she didn't react to the breeze. Her hands wrapped around the rapidly cooling paper cup holding her coffee. She hunched forward slightly, as if listening to something of interest far away. Most telling of all, she did not respond to him.

Kurama politely cleared his throat to gain her attention. Blue eyes blinked a few times in rapid succession and the action brought Shinpi back to life. She lifted the drink to her lips, took a sip as she thawed out and sat back. The tension fell from her shoulders and her entire being seemed to suddenly ease.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" She asked him.

"I asked if you were alright." He raised his eyebrows slightly.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. Her tone remained pleasant and steady. Her attention wandered around the park where they'd met for this conversation.

It was bitter cold. There were few people milling about. Kurama waited.

"I needed to talk to you." Shinpi finally drug her gaze back to him. "We're pretty similar, aren't we?"

"In many way." Kurama nodded. "I take it there's a specific trait you want to discuss."

"Did you die?"

Kurama raised his brows once more, his mouth carefully neutral as if he'd been expecting this question. He hadn't been. Control was merely how he responded to stress.

And this conversation was definitely causing him stress. Shinpi was not herself. Her questions were not easy to answer. He fell back on his old habits to cope.

"I ask because I did. I died." Shinpi stared at him intently, those penetrating eyes boring into him. "I remember dying, Kurama. I remember the pain, chocking on blood, my bones breaking. I remember everything. Everything except how I got here."

Kurama watched her talk with a neutral mask hiding his steadily growing alarm and confusion. These questions were so strange and Shinpi's behavior only intensified them. They had known each other for a year, why now? What had suddenly possessed her?

"One day I was Amon-Shinpi and then I wasn't. I didn't know who I had been until I was two years old." She pressed. "Did you?"

"Did I die? Or did I remember who I was?"

"Both. Were you ever anyone besides whoa re you?" Her question demanded an answer.

The look in her eye, the way she rushed through her admission and surged through the words, it felt desperate. A cry or a warning? What was he dealing with here?

"No." He answered her in a cool tone. "I didn't die and I didn't forget."

Shinpi shook her head.

"Hichi, what is all this? Why is this suddenly so important?" he reached over and touched her trembling hand.

"I had a body and now I don't." She whispered. "I'm not like you. She doesn't live on me, just out of reach. I didn't possess this vessel, I was shoved into it. _I was put here on purpose_."

Kurama pulled his back a scant inch then reconsidered the action. He wrapped his slender fingers around her wrist, making sure his skin pressed to hers.

"I was supposed to die. I was never meant to come back. Souls like mine, they don't get recycled." Shinpi stared into the distance again.

Not knowing what else to do, Kurama remained quiet on the park bench beside his trembling friend. Then, firmly, he told her: "But you did."

"But I did." Shinpi looked over at him.

A few breathless, painful moments slipped by them.

"Kurama, I need you to do something for me." Shinpi finally spoke again.

"I will do my best." He allowed, hesitant as always to blindly agree to anything.

"I need you to keep a secret for me." She lowered her voice.

He nodded slowly. "What secret am I keeping?"

"I know who brought me back." She watched his eyes widen. "And I think I know why."

* * *

Arms full of groceries, Shinpi trudged up the front walk up to her house. The ground had frozen the ripped and jagged pieces of earth into place. Snow had melted around the fractures and she stopped to glance at them. Kuwabara had said that his father knew a contractor who could fix it, make it all flat and perfect and picturesque.

Like nothing had ever happened there, he'd said.

That's not what she wanted. She didn't want some false dream fed to her with luxury grass and professional landscaping. Sachiko didn't die to become part of some false fantasy.

 _Be good._

No. Sachiko had protected her, had trusted her and loved her. She could not just flatten the earth and pretend nothing had happened. This was not something she could cover up and forget and bury. But maybe, she would hire the contractor anyway. Not to hide her loss, but to turn it into something new.

Like a fountain surrounded by beautiful flowers.

Sachiko would have liked that.

Turning toward her door, Shinpi noticed a box leaning there. Long and thin. With a brow raised she cautiously approached it, setting her groceries down to examine the parcel. A simple note written on the front made her fight back a smile.

 _For your trophy case._

Mukuro certainly had a sense of humor about her, that was for sure.

She pulled out her keys and opened her door, walking in to set the box on the kitchen table before going back for her grocery bags. That's when it caught her attention. Shinpi saw wings before she saw Hayato. Wide, dark wings. And her thoughts turned into screaming alarms. Sirens. When Hayato rushed forward and she hissed at him, " _Put those away_. Are you trying to get us found out?!"

He came to a halt right in front of her, panting. Even after all the years had passed between them, she felt his expression deep in her gut. It was a second nature reaction.

So, his words did not alarm her. They merely acted to confirm she was correct.

"We have a problem."

* * *

 _Skkkrrrttt_

Few sounds were as satisfying as a whetstone sliding over a blade, in Hiei's opinion. It was rhythmic and soothing. Sharpening his sword was basically meditation for him, a mindless action he could use to occupy his hands while he lost himself to his thoughts. He had lied to Mukuro. _Skkkrrrttt._ It was a small lie. Surely she knew he was a liar. A handful of shared years wouldn't break him of all his unseemly habits. _Skkkrrrttt._

It wasn't even a complete lie. He would focus on training Runa. _Skkkrrrttt._ The favorable upside of which being that he would be staying closer to Shinpi for a longer sum of time. Mukuro suggested his woman was an invaluable addition to Runa's mentorship. A strong female presence to learn from.

Hiei had to agree with that. There were few women stronger than his.

* * *

Shinpi held Katsuo by his shirt front, shaking him in her frustration. It wasn't that she hadn't expected him to mess up in one regard or another, it was that she had truly only given him one hard and fast rule. One task paramount to all others.

Keep Runa safe.

And he'd failed. Utterly. Infuriatingly.

"How could you let this happen?" Shinpi raged, as much at herself as at him. She had promised Hiei she would look after Runa. She had told him she could handle this. And then she left.

She left so she could go confront Mukuro.

So stupid. So selfish.

The wind howled around the cavern opening. None of the pack dared to approach this fight. The mountain hideaway was eerily quiet save for the brewing storm and Shinpi's fury.

"How could you let her go?" She asked him again, biting the words.

"If I had realized what was happening, I'd have stopped her. You have my word." Katsuo finally managed to defend himself.

"I can't work with ifs, you fool!" Shinpi dropped him despite her harsh tone. Stepping back, she worked to regain herself. "Start again. Tell me everything that happened while I was gone. Tell me how you managed to let her sneak away."

* * *

Runa held onto the letter that had been hand delivered to her in the forest surrounding Katsuo's mountain. She had been practicing her tracking when she heard the snapping of twigs. Arrow knocked, she'd spun to face the interloper. A woman. Wild blonde hair, large eyes full of fear. Taller than herself, but somehow shrunk inward as if she were afraid. And inside the letter, a cutting of hair.

Twisting between fear and anger, Runa's innards ached. Her eyes traced the words of the note again and again. The letters were still unfamiliar, still indecipherable to her. A message she could never read. Despite this, she recognized the ahir. The scent on it was fresh enough to be unmistakable to her.

Marcel.

Alive, somewhere. Dead hair didn't smell that way.

The blonde who had pressed the envelope into her palm had filled a few gaps.

" _Hiro is with your boy."_

She was shaking, Runa realized of herself. Was it the icy grip of anxiety or the weight of her bitter rage? She couldn't tell. They had Marcel and they were dangling him like a carrot in front of her. It had been simple, the choice to runaway. To go back for the one person who had looked at her and thought she was worthy of having a real life. If saving him meant trading herself, it was a fair transaction in her opinion. No one else was going to get hurt for her.

The haunting image of Amon-Shinpi pinned to a tree by a sword swam through her mind followed by the look in Marcel's eyes when he told her to run.

No. Not again. She wouldn't let anyone suffer for her again. She had to be strong. She had to be brave. She had to make the choice to face this.

She had to be like Amon-Shinpi.

* * *

Shinpi hopped onto the washer, reaching up to shove the ceiling tiles out of hte way. She cursed loudly when plaster dust fell into her eye.

"Slow down!" Hayato called, rushing into the wash room. "I could barely keep up with you!"

"She's going to get butchered, Hai." Shinpi yanked her bag from its hideaway before dismounting the washing machine to go to the sink to flush her eye. "We don't have time to talk about this."

She felt the weight of guilt crushing her. She was supposed to be looking after Runa. The girl was so young, so desperate to help. How could she have let this happen? How many times was she going to put herself before the wellbeing of others?

"What are you going to do?" Hayato pressed. To make sure she answered him, he pulled the bag away and held it out of her reach.

"I'm going after her, dumbass." Shinpi snapped. "What else would I be doing?"

"You can't go by yourself or Runa won't be the only one butchered. You know this." He narrowed his eyes. "Slow down, Hichi. Think. You need a plan."

Shinpi quieted then, backing a few steps away. Hayato was right. She needed to think this through.

"Hiro still thinks Runa is the reincarnation of Amon-Shinpi. He's luring her there for this reason. That means he doesn't know who I am." She started slowly. "He knows Iruni Mikamoto exists, but that's it. I told Shikari that I saw Hiei use the sword, so she wouldn't think it was the one she was looking for. She would have reported that back to Hiro."

"So, he's operating on limited information." Hayato nodded. "It was wise to throw them off your scent early."

"It was necessary if this was going to work. As soon as I realized Shikari was looking for the sword I knew who she worked for." Shinpi started to pace. "So, we know too that Shikari and Hiro have connected Runa to Hiei by now. Hiei's trip to Sayol probably only worked to cement their connection."

"They're going to expect him to go after her." Hayato lowered the bag gradually. "They'll be ready for him. He's not exactly a subtle presence and he's done nothing to guard the world from his abilities."

Shinpi hate that Hiei had been roped into this. Hiro was her ghost, her fight, her nightmare. And yet again, he was permeating every aspect of her existence, threatening everything she held dear.

"I'm going after Runa. They expect Hiei, not me. Runa will serve as the perfect distraction. While Hiro is focused on her, I'll be able to intervene. I need you to go to Alaric and tell Hiei what's happened." She took the bag as he offered it to her. "We'll all meet in Aishling. If I get to Runa first I'll try to talk some sense into her."

"Don't face him alone." Hayato grabbed her by the shoulders, concern twisting his expression.

"I won't." She promised. "Go, Hai. I'll meet you in Aishling."

She watched him leave before getting dressed. She took her time with the act, using it as a form of meditation to ground herself. It was loud in her head, a torrent of thoughts battering her nerves. Enma. Hiro. Runa. Katsuo. Mukuro. Hiei. Hayato. Kurama. Yusuke. Kuwabara. Herself. A million scenarios. A thousand voices. A hundred fears. One by one she silenced them until she stared at herself in the mirror, shrouded in black. Her breathing was steady.

This was the inevitable end she had been crawling toward. The truth that had pushed her through a life that wasn't meant to exist. There was no hiding from it.

Her bones threatened to ache with memories best left forgotten, but she forbid them. Hiei and Hayato would meet her at the end, where this all began.

Hiro thought himself so clever. Imagined he had a plan of all plans.

Shinpi grinned at herself in the mirror and she a fraction of her old self in the reflection.

He had no idea what was coming.

* * *

Hiei marched down the hall to tell Mukuro he was leaving. He'd done all his duties and it was time to get back to Runa and Shinpi. Not necessarily in that order. He stopped immediately upon entering the dining hall.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Hiei sneered as soon as his eyes picked out Hayato's form.

"Amon-Shinpi's little bird comes with a message." Mukuro explained. "You're just in time, Hiei, I was about to send for you."

"What message?" Hiei glared at Hayato.

"Runa is headed to Sayol." Hayato spoke firmly, tone grave. His dark wings shivered behind him. Hiei imagined that was out of annoyance at the look on Hiei's face. "Someone gave her a letter with something in it that made her run. After some investigation, it appears that Shikari delivered a letter from Hiro. Whatever was in it was what drew her away."

Hiei snarled. "That girl is quickly outgrowing her usefulness at the rate she's being a goddamn nuisance."

"How did she slip passed Amon-Shinpi?" Mukuro posed the logical question.

Hayato glanced at the king. "M'lord wasn't there at the time. We were in the mountains with a pack of wolf demons as part of young Runa's training."

"Wait." Hiei stopped him with a raised hand. "Not that idiot Katsuo."

"The same." Hayato grimaced, obviously sharing Hiei's dour opinion.

"Where the hell was Shinpi?" Hiei demanded. "She told me she would look after Runa!"

Hayato didn't answer him.

"That brings me to the most important part of the message, if you're done interrupting." Hayato hedged around Hiei's question with deft expertise. "Runa ran off to Sayol and Amon-Shinpi ran off after her."

The room was silent for a moment. The sort of silence that rushes down on a person, eating all sound because of the truth that was spilled just before requires a vacuum of space before it can be digested. Mukuro opened her mouth but said nothing. Her head jerked toward Hiei, who was shaking, hands curled into white-knuckled fists.

"So, what you're saying is," Hiei started in a tone so fierce Mukuro worried it might burn the castle to the ground around them, "that Shinpi…"

"Is headed toward Sayol as we speak." Hayato finished for him, nodding. His wings shuddered again. "And Hiro knows she's coming."


	51. Aishling Blooms

**A/N: I'm sure you guys can tell we are barreling toward and ending here! I'm very excited. And I'm very excited about this chapter in particularly. By my estimates we actually only have 2 chapters left. I can't believe it.**

 **Thank you all for your continued support and readership! And for all your lovely feedback and reviews. I read every single one. I'm very bad at responding to them, but I do read them and I absolutely adore them. Thank you all so much.**

* * *

Kurama, Kuwabara and Yusuke all stood in a clearing, out of sight of the temple on Genkai's grounds. Dour, they hovered close together, trying to craft a plan while they waited for Koenma to arrive.

"I can't believe she would just run into this alone." Yusuke griped, hands on hips. "Why wouldn't she get us to go with her?"

"From the sound of it, she didn't have time. Hiei suggested she left as soon as she confirmed Runa's destination." Kurama interjected. "I went to her house. She hadn't even put away her groceries. She just left them in bags on the floor. Her door was unlocked as well. She obviously went in a hurry."

"I don't like her being by herself. From everything she's told us, this guy isn't going to be easy to take down." Kuwabara frowned. "I'm worried about her."

"Hiei is already heading to Sayol." Kurama assured him. "He will fight to make sure she's alright."

"And we'll be hot on their heels." Yusuke confirmed with a devilish glow to his eyes. Then he yelled, "If Prince of the Diaper Clan ever shows the fuck up!"

"Yusuke!" Botan admonished hotly, landing behind him with a glare. Koenma was standing to her side.

"Finally." Yusuke snapped. "It's not like this life or death or anything."

"I'm aware of the stakes here, Yusuke. That's why I had to be sure I did everything by the book." Koenma informed him curtly. "I don't want any of this to blow back on any of you, especially not Amon-Shinpi."

"So what's the plan?" Kuwabara asked him. "What are we doing?"

"You're going to Sayol." He told them. "The barrier around that territory is thinner than it is most other places in Makai. It'll be easy to cut you a portal. We're going to dump you as close as we can to Aishling, the capital. Hopefully, you'll arrive in time."

"What do you mean in time?" Kurama asked coolly. "Are not leaving immediately?"

"I told you. I had to go through the right channels for this." Koenma reminded him. "You leave in two days, at dawn."

"Two days?!" Yusuke bellowed. "What the hell man?"

"The chances of Amon-Shinpi arriving before that are slim. You'll likely arrive before her, and by extension, before Hiei. Potentially, you could all face Hiro as a team and prevent any major fallout." Koenma explained. "We all want everyone to come home safely, Yusuke."

Yusuke grumbled, sneering, but didn't outright argue. Though he seethed. Kurama approached Koenma to work out details of the plan and Kuwabara picked the prince's brain for information on the territory so they'd have a better idea of what they were rushing into. Together the four of them crafted an intervention strategy, and if they were too late, a plan for joining Hiei and Shinpi in battle. None of them really knew what they were walking into, but they all agreed that as long as their friends were on the other side, they would face it.

* * *

The desert.

Shinpi hated this desert. She had ever since she was a wayward child running away from home. It was a ruthless, horrid wasteland determined to bring all wanderers within it's borders to a brutal end. If one wasn't wary, they would surely fall prey to the raging winds, the cutting sand and the other awful ways to die here. Personally, she could handle most of the elements. The mirages though.

Those were a particularly dangerous.

But hating the desert wasn't enough to keep her legs from growing exhausted and heavy. Reluctantly, she settled into the safest spot she could find, a stone overhang that would at least protect her back and from above. It did little to save her from the retched heat of the ground and air. Her cheeks were spotted with angry red blisters where the scarf wound round her face didn't protect her skin. Sweat stuck her hair and clothes to her, but she didn't dare expose any more of herself than was already in the open. If the wind wasn't enough to dissuade her from disrobing, the sand made a pretty solid argument. Unlike sand in the human world, these grains were as sharp as razors. Even her thick scarf and her hood and the protections built into her dark clothing were not enough to completely protect her. There were small holes chewing through the cloth.

Still, she pressed her shoulders against the stone at her back, knees up so her arms could rest on them. Carefully, she set her sword so the hilt rested by her neck. Just a few minutes of rest and she'd be good as new.

Just a few minutes.

Just…just a few…

"Momma?"

Shinpi's eyes pinched further closed, sleep doing it's best to hold it's claim on her.

"Momma?"

Slowly that sweet, rejuvenating darkness slipped away. Her eyes peeled open, catching sight of small feet just a few inches away from her own. Soft soled leather shoes. Her blood ran cold, the sweat dripping down her spine feeling like an ice cube drug over her skin.

"Momma?"

No. She closed her eyes again and got her feet in measured movement. Her left hand gripped the sheath of her sword so hard she feared she might crack the casing. It took effort to keep her breathing even. This was not a moment to show fear or anything emotion, actually. She had to move quietly, discreetly, and then run. But that voice.

"Please, help me, momma."

That voice, that voice, that voice, that voice.

That sweet, pained voice. She hadn't heard it in so many years. Even like this, as a form of torture, she loved that voice. Even though it meant to kill her.

The mirages in this desert were the most dangerous trick in its arsenal.

Holding her breath, Shinpi stepped to the side, skirting around the stone, her right hand trailing over it's rough surface so she would know where she was. All movement stopped, even the wind, as a cold palm came to rest on her forearm.

"It hurts so much. Please make it better. A kiss, like you used to do. Please, momma."

Shinpi's eyes opened from the touch, and it was a mistake. She was met with the glazed blue eyes of her son, who whose face had grown sunken, one cheek rotted through. Just as she'd last seen him his chest was carved open, ribs broken though, blood running down his front. His organs were peeking through the hole in his torso but not quite spilling out. His lips were stained red from the blood trailing from his mouth.

This image she had tried to hard to forget.

Bile rose in her throat, scalding the tissue there. Her head grew empty. Reality listed to the side, then narrowed on the figure before her.

The hand cupping her cheek sank its nails into the flesh there.

"You forgot me." Kin's tone grew cold, angry. "You left me there alone. You abandoned me then you forgot me."

This wasn't real. It was a false image. She had to remember that. This wasn't her son.

"You forgot me!"

He surged through the last inches keeping them apart, clogging her vision with the face of her worst nightmare. There was a smell, wet earth and blood and rot. The smell of the restless dead. Then the metallic pang of her own blood on the air as those nails raked down her cheek.

This wasn't real. This wasn't Kin.

She jerked around the stone so that she couldn't see the image anymore, her heart pounding. The ground beneath scalded through the soles of her shoes but the heat was able to help her shake the chill that always couples with a bad memory. Unseen, the mirage seemed to fade from existence, no more voice calling for her.

Shinpi took that as a sign that she should get moving before desert decided to amp up it's attempts to claim her life. After securing her sword to her back, hidden underneath her cloak, she took off again, flying over the hills of sand. As she ran back to the life that left her behind, her thoughts bombarded her from a hundred separate sides. The conversation with Enma, her memories of Hiro and Sayol and her old life, her new life and Hiei and the others, and this new body which meant she thought of her old one as well. Her first time through this desert she had barely had to stop to rest. Admittedly, the scope of the difference between her human body and that of her former self had almost faded in the wake of working with the team.

Amongst Kurama and Kuwabara and Yusuke and Hiei she felt strong and so much like herself that sometimes she had forgotten her own limitations.

There was no forgetting now. The difference was defined in every cramp, all the strain and the fact she had to force herself to keep a steady pace.

The wind kicked up, hot and angry, sending grains of sand against her in a flurry. It felt as if she was being shredded by glass particles. It bit holes through her shirt and cut her skin. She ignored the blood that rose to the surface in swollen dots, because it instantly grew tacky in the mounting heat. She cursed into her scarf, glad it was wound around her face as she spied the reason for the assault. A thick funnel had formed, sucking up sand and twisting the winds. A tornado. Made of excessively hot air and incredibly sharp sand.

A death trap.

She surged forward, battling against the winds threatening to suck her in and forcing her way over the slippery sands trying to suck her down, determined to best the act of nature barreling towards her.

She hated this desert so damn much. Honestly. Even for Makai this was excessive.

* * *

What the hell was Shinpi thinking, running into Sayol like this? Hiei couldn't believe her. Of all the thick-skulled, self-destructive ideas she had had since they met this one was the worst. The absolute worst. She was playing right into Hiro's hands. What if Hiro already knew Runa was a false-flag? He could have sent for her just to lure Shinpi into danger. And the woman did it. She rushed after Runa like the overly protective fool she was.

Then there was Runa. Barely capable of defending herself and suddenly she thinks herself strong enough to face down the king of a foreign territory. That was beyond foolish, it was just plain stupid. And for what? For some man? Kuwabara might claim this was an act of love. Hiei spit at the thought. Love.

If love could drive perfectly sane demons to their their deaths over letters, then he didn't want to know it.

He was never allowing those two women to reside within a hundred miles of one another ever again. Them together meant nothing but trouble. One of them always found a way to nearly die on him. He was tired of it. Runa could go back to Alaric and finish her training there, as far away from Shinpi as he could keep her. And Shinpi could deal with being stuck in Human World, preferably as close to Genkai or Kurama as possible.

It horrified Hiei to accept that he was worried about Shinpi. More horrified to realize he was also worried about Runa.

What a useless, foreign emotion. These women would be the death of him.

Being useless didn't stop it from pestering him, though. He was worried. Worried he was going to be too late. Worried Shinpi would do something stupid. She had proven time and again she could not handle being taunted about her son, or confronted with Hiro's presence in her life. He just knew, just knew, that Hiro would find that exact right string in Shinpi and pull at it until she unraveled. Shinpi would be reduced to her basic components: rage, self-loathing and a thirst for justice. Hiei could picture her facing Hiro, hair caught on the wind, as she tossed herself into the fight without regard for her own survival.

The thought of it pushed him to run faster, harder. He flew over the surface of the desert without pause. The heat didn't bother him, he'd felt worse. The sand couldn't bite through this cloak, or the scarf around his face. Demon animals had hides too thick for such puny assaults. Skidding to a stop, he studied the distant horizon to the northwest. Even from here he could make the massive sandstorm. He snorted.

Whatever poor fool had gotten themselves caught up in that mess was done for. Not his problem.

The sand under his feet gave way. Cursing, he began racing over the sand again. He'd stood still for too long. The area he'd been standing gave way to reveal a system of circular mouths, all with sharp teeth, waiting for him. When he didn't fall into that gaping maw, it shifted back under the sand, prepared for it's next victim.

* * *

Runa entered the old-growth forest with a mingled sense of awe and trepidation. This was where Amon-Shinpi called home? A new respect for the woman's wild pride struck her. Is this where all wolves came from? Not Katsuo, for sure. He lived in the mountains. But still, he was surrounded by trees.

The sky was as blue as the sapphire expanse she'd come to expect from her training amongst Hiei's allies. This land felt different this time. When she had arrived with Marcel it had felt overwhelmingly beautiful and large. The sort of place one might craft in a dream, then get lost in. Now, though she still felt infinitesimal in the shadow of the trees, it all felt more manageable. Finding her way was a work of instinct, like a thread pulled her along from the navel forward, guiding her.

Marcel was here, still alive. Waiting for her. Trapped in a cage just like she had been when they'd first met. Except Marcel had always known freedom and now he suffered it's absence. For her. To protect her.

She would spend the rest of her life paying him back for this, fulfilling her debt to him. Without his sacrifice she'd have died and Amon-Shinpi would have been hunted and Hiei would have been hurt. Feeling close to the end, she allowed herself a moment to stand still and breathe in, crafting a plan.

How would Shinpi approach this? How would Hiei?

Head first, normally.

But this would require being clever, wouldn't it? Working it out. Hiro had sent for her, he knew she was coming. He didn't know she was weak. He was expecting his oldest foe. When Shinpi had acted rashly to defend her, she had nearly been killed. Going into this without some hesitation would mean she was putting herself at risk.

Brute strength wasn't the answer in this. She didn't need to beat Hiro. Ideally, she might even have to encounter him at all. That wasn't her goal and she had to remember that. Marcel was the goal. All she needed to do was free him, then she could leave.

She didn't think it would be that easy.

* * *

Clothes worn through and threadbare, Shinpi found herself walking over the roots of ancient trees. The moss under her soles was so soft it was like a dream. Wind whispered through the leave, speaking secrets to her. That old language which connected to something deep inside her. Eyes closed, she practiced walking through the forest, fingertips trailing over the bark of one tree to fall to her side until she sensed the next. Her feet, though they had never stepped here, felt at home marching through the underbrush.

The crunching of old leaves and dried twigs caught her attention. She watched a massive buck move between two trees, the large dark eyes on her. Stringy moss and thick vines hung from the creature's antlers. Eighteen points. An old soul. It dwarfed her. But when the wind shifted, blowing her scent its direction, the deer's nostrils flared and it turned to flee only to be barreled by a snarling mass of black fur. A high screech pierced through the air cut off by the wet crunch of a throat being bitten through.

Shinpi eyed the incredibly large wolf as it spun toward her, blood dripping from its jaws. Her head tilted to one side, slightly, as it hunkered down legs wide, snarl revealing deadly teeth.

She snarled back, stepping forward.

The wolf's tail tucked down as it stepped back.

Shinpi moved on. She wasn't interested in venison at the moment. She was after heftier prey.

Picking her way through the hidden paths of Sayol was familiar work. She was used to running these trails, away from the main roads. Maybe it wasn't her body that remembered, but her mind did. Though she stumbled a few times with these smaller legs making her steps short that she was used to. Being here highlighted how much she had lost, what a different being she had become. Grown. Transformed. Erupted.

The sword on her back hummed between her shoulder blades. She suspected it was happy to be amongst familiar energy. This was where they were strongest. This was her home.

Or it had been.

Creeping like a strangling vine, she made her way around the towns. No sense exposing herself to the citizens. Not that they would recognize her, but a stranger's face brought on too much interest here and word traveled surprisingly fast. If she was seen on the outskirts Hiro would have a description of her by nightfall likely.

Perhaps, though, it wouldn't matter.

* * *

Yusuke and others found themselves in a small village full of a variety of demons. Kuwbara was enamored, admiring all the details. The leather laced vests, the linen shirts, the boots and shoes. Kurama studied the races and examined the layout of the market. Yusuke complained about the mud, but other than that he merely took everything in with his hands on his hips. Offering a low whistle he looked behind him to Kurama.

"So this is it? This is where all this shit started?" Yusuke asked.

A few demons eyed him with scowls at the volume of his voice.

"Perhaps not right in this spot." Kurama offered in response, noting the distinct flavor of attire the citizens wore.

"Hey guys! I found a map." Kuwabara ran back to them with the folded cream colored map, printed on thick parchment. "Looks like we actually have to follow this main road here to get to Aishling. We're down in Gol. It'll mean crossing a river but the guy at the booth said the bridge was just repaired so we should be fine."

Yusuke and Kurama ducked over the map along with their towering friend, watching as he traced their path with his finger.

"We could get there in a few hours." Kurama looked up to his two friends. "If we leave now."

"Then let's go. No sense letting Hiei and Hichi have all the fun." Yusuke flashed a devilish grin.

Kuwabara folded up the map carefully along it's original creases as the other two set off. He paused long enough to get a good look around the village, frowning. They were being watched so closely. He didn't like it.

Then he jogged to catch up with the other two men.

"Was that the King of Tourin?" One of the demon's in the market turned to another, confused. "What is he doing here?"

"He said he was heading to the capital, didn't he?" The other answered. "Do you think they have business with the king?"

"Didn't seem very official."

"I have a cousin down in Aishling, I'll see if they know what's going on."

* * *

Hiei had mapped out a shortcut back at Mukuro's. He knew if he entered the territory on the southern side he'd be able to get to Aishling faster. Maybe even before Shinpi. Runa had too large a head start. He'd have to settle for intervention when it came to her fight.

Almost there.

* * *

Shinpi stepped into the clearing and listened to the crushing silence. This is a place her soul definitely remembered, if she had one. The stinging carpet of stinging nettle that coated the land did little to deter her measured steps. Her eyes moved to the old elder trees, still even though beyond this spot the breeze blew freely. And then, she listened to the _krek krek krek_ of a single insect doing its best work to combat the oppressive quiet. The corncrake.

The three signs of a cursed plot all gathered here for her.

Ah, so her rage and her blood had truly poisoned this ground hadn't it? She continued forward until her toes pressed to the jagged edge of the cavern she had ripped into the earth herself. It was larger than she remembered. Then again, she only really saw it from below, as she fell. Part of her was impressed with herself. To go from never moving a pebble to carving this monstrosity into the bowels of her land was a pretty substantial jump in skill. Her hands found homes in her pockets.

Ivy crept outward, risen from the darkness below like it was waiting for her.

Maybe it was.

Her grandmother had told her ivy served as a reminder of the eternal nature of life. But on the grave, it predicted a restless spirit. Someone looking to come back from the other side. Oddly appropriate that it grew so freely here, despite the lack of nutrients or light. Her personal omen.

The earth here had known she would return even before she had. That was comforting, in its own way. Maybe King Enma wasn't the only being with a plan that schemed across time and space and reality. Maybe here, around her, were the old gods she had grown up adjacent to but never really relying on. The stories of her grandfather and her grandmother that were dismissed as the times changed.

Had Hiei stood here, staring down into the same darkness? What had he thought of all of this? Had it altered his perspective at all, to come face to face with the proof of her desperate rage? Had he descended downward?

She got her answer after she climbed down into the depths of the cavern. Here the ivy seemed to be flowing out of the pile of rocks that weighed down her burial mound. Did Hiro truly believe that they would be enough to keep her down? She laughed and it echoed around her, bitter and ringing. The ivy shivered at the sound. Hiro had braided rowan branches around her identifier. As if he truly thought that some woven wood would keep her angry spirit from rising up and coming after him. What a piteous fool.

Approaching her own grave, she didn't feel remorse or agony. She felt only dry humor and annoyance. How, when she had been so strong, had she allowed herself to fall? There, at the top of her grave, carefully balanced, was a single throwing knife. Her lips quirked into a wry smile. Hiei had definitely been here. How sentimental of him.

She would never let him live this down. It would be so much fun teasing him, "I saw your tribute on my grave. You could have cut out the middle man and just given the gift to me directly darling."

He would definitely grumble about that.

Her fingers danced over the blade before pocketing it. Teasing Hiei aside, the gesture was quite thoughtful. That was something she adored about him, his strange thoughtfulness. What other man would think to bring her favored weapon to her burial site while he visited her homeland to grow closer to her? He might never say how much she meant to him, but he would show it in these ways. And that was perfectly fine by her. She was always listening to the things he didn't say anyway. She had been the whole time.

Her mood turned from the warmth of thinking of Hiei to the heat of remembering Hiro. He buried her under a pile of rocks. Not even bothering to put her with her family under Aishling's sturdy roots. Either he was insanely superstitious or he was seriously just this cruel. With a sneer she knelt. Then she reached up and pulled the first stone free. The vines of ivy under her feet coiled around her ankles as she dug with growing fervor, throwing rocks and clawing through dirt. She forgot about Runa for the moment, about Hiro. She thought of nothing more than digging and digging and digging.

Until she saw pale skin. A cheek. Then a nose and a face and a throat and an arm. A body, stained with dirt, but intact. Marvelously intact.

Her hands shook as she faced herself.

She looked like she was sleeping. Nothing had faded on her.

The tremors rolled down her body until her legs collapsed underneath her. This was it. This was her.

She had died.

Not like Kurama, but as herself. Here. In this moment in this space in this life. She had died. Her mind reeled with the true acceptance of it. Roiled against the woman laying there. But more than that, more than anything, she felt strangely whole again. With fumbling fingers she pulled off her cloak and sword. She set them to the side and forced herself to stand. With one hand she cupped the cheek of the woman she used to be, then with a bowed head she kissed the cold lips of the body that used to be her own.

The ivy crept up her legs and wound around her bodies. Above them thunder clapped and the sound of the wind roared. She felt it rush over her skin, through her hair.

And for the first time in twenty-six years she wasn't cold.

* * *

Runa stood in Aishling's town square as the brewing storm barreled toward her. Across from her stood the man she'd been hoping to avoid. He kept himself at a fair distance. Her memory had both somehow managed to make him seem smaller and larger. Hiro stood taller than she remembered, but he was not nearly as thick with muscle.

Amon-Shinpi said he was a lightning user, maybe he didn't have to have big muscles. Lightning could cover quite the distance. And it was fast. She'd need to be on her toes.

Thunder called, growing closer with every moment. Runa didn't let the coming storm dissuade her. She came here for a reason. She wasn't backing down until she had Marcel, so she planted her feet and widened her stance and knocked an arrow on her bow. Lifting the weapon, eyes narrowed she channeled all the strength she could into her voice.

"I don't want to fight you, I'm just here for what's rightfully mine." She called over the space between them. "Don't do this, Hiro."

"How familiar." He called back. "I think you meant to call me King Hiro."

"I think you meant to say 'I surrender'." Runa tossed back to him. "Bring me the man and I'll leave."

"I'd rather kill him than hand him over." Hiro began walking toward her. "You're in no space to make demands, beloved."

He came to a stop as Runa's arrow bit into the ground before his feet. She knocked a second. All her drills with Amon-Shinpi had made her aim as true as anything. Hiro seemed to understand the threat because he remained fixed in place where he stopped.

"How very like you to offer a warning, even to me." He narrowed his eyes.

Runa could make out the gold accents on his brocade coat, shining in the diminishing sunlight. The clouds rolling toward them were thick and angry, nearly black. Hiro looked up at them with a growing darkness in his expression.

"Your temper hasn't improved I see." He spoke coldly then, no more pretenses. "I was hoping you had learned your lesson."

Runa swallowed, the hair on her arms and nape rising. The air grew thick with the scent of coming rain and ozone. Hiro's hair rose on end as he spread his hands. Soldiers began pouring from around the square, forming a crescent along his sides. Runa remained as steady as she could.

There was no way she was making it through an entire army.

"Runa!"

"Ah, and there he is. Your newest pet." Hiro sneered as Hiei made himself known, bursting into the square before skidding to a stop a handful of feet behind Runa. "Hello again."

"You're still alive." Hiei remarked to Runa, pleasantly surprised.

"We haven't even started yet." She snapped back at him.

"Still." He then turned his attention toward the man facing them. "You think your little army is enough to hold us back? You're a bigger fool than Shinpi told me you were."

"Shinpi?" Hiro raised his eyebrow. "You'd do well to keep my wife's name out of your petulant mouth, scoundrel."

"She may be your wife, but she's my woman." Hiei smirked, enjoying the way Hiro's mouth set into a harsh line.

"We can't beat an army." Runa kept her voice down as she glanced toward Hiei. "We need more help."

"It's on the way." He assured her, reaching for his sword. "Until then, just stay out of the way and try not to die. Did you see Shinpi?"

"No." Runa shook her head, going back to watching Hiro and the encroaching army warily.

"Looking for your allies?" Hiro asked them. "I heard that the King of Tourin and his usual accomplices were lurking around Gol. They should be here soon, not that they'll arrive in time to save you."

"I don't need saving." Hiei growled.

Hiro rushed forward and Runa let her arrow fly. Her aim had been perfect, but she hadn't accounted for Hiro's reflexes being so quick. He was able to catch the shaft midair before casting it to the side. The sky was painted black in its entirety. Thunder shook the ground. There was a snap, a sizzle and the smell of electricity burning through the air. Runa flinched. Hiei called out. Hiro grinned.

And Aishling blossomed into thousands of brilliant, glowing white flowers. Some of them caught on the wind, tracing patterns as they spun.

Runa waited for Hiro's attack to land on her, she had felt the scalding heat of his lightning as it slid passed her. Her hair stood on end, muscles tight with tension. When the pain didn't follow, she opened her eyes to see the arc of electricity sliding over the surface of the bubble of green energy surrounding her. One muscled arm reached over her shoulder, palm facing Hiro. Craning her head back, Runa stared into the wrathful face of the demoness standing over her.

The army stopped. Hiro stopped. Hiei took a step toward them. All Runa could do was fixate.

"If you have time to flinch, you have time to dodge." That cool voice sent shivers down Runa's spine. "Don't make the same mistake again, little one. Now, take your bow and go find your trophy. I will handle this fight."

"Amon-Amon-Shinpi?" Runa swallowed around the name, it's presence taking up far more space in her mouth than ever before.

"Go. Win your fight. Leave the correcting of history to me." Fingertips slid down Runa's jawline before the energy shield dispersed. A gentle hand shoved Runa along, and she shook herself enough to begin running away so she could find a secondary path to the castle.

That left Hiei, Hiro and and army all focused on the same woman.

"Hello again, beloved." Hiro greeted her, infuriated at the sight of that strong body and that mess of red hair.

Amon-Shinpi stood firmly between Hiro and Hiei, feet planted, shoulders squared. Red hair to her waist twisting in the wind, full of tangles and dirt. She wore a crown of ivy and elder. Her clothes were ruined, a hole ripped through her shirt's front and back, revealing a thick scar on her upper diaphragm and ribs. From the back Hiei could see a scar there too. He knew that spot. It was where Hiro's hand had cut through her chest.

This was her body, the one she had died in. The clothes she had died in. Hiei could smell the dampness of the cavern she had been buried beneath. He recognized the ivy, the strange wood and pale flowers of the tree in her crown. She stood taller than him by nearly a half foot, her arms swollen with muscle. Her legs too. Her pants were worn in several areas and deeply stained. She had killed an army before she died.

His questions from when he visited her burial mound clawed back into the forefront of his mind once more. The woman under those rocks.

Would she know him?

As if she could hear his question, that mystical figure turned to face Hiei, blue eyes large and dark, but still glittering. She offered him a smile he didn't fully recognize yet, but he could tell it was warm. Just for him. The tension racking through him began to lessen.

It fled him completely when she finally addressed him.

"I didn't rise from the dead to fight alone, darling."


	52. The End

**A/N: So, this it is my beautiful people. This is the last real chapter of the story. An epilogue will follow, but for our story proper we** **'ve reached the conclusion.**

 **I want to thank every single one of you for coming on this adventure with me. Your comments, messages, follows, likes, and overall participation in this story has breathed life into me. You have all helped me as I struggled through some of the darkest moment** **'s of my life this pasted year and a half. I don't know where I'd be without you. I truly can't express how much I love you all, how much I appreciate you, how much all your words and loyalty to this story has meant to me.**

 **Here** **'s to the adventures to come.**

 **Yours truly,**

 **WistfulSin**

* * *

Hiei moved to stand at Shinpi's side, eyes scanning her up and down. He knew it wasn't the right time to be admiring her like this, to wonder if her palms were calloused from years of combat, to want to memorize the new shape of her body. She offered him a knowing look, then shook her head and turned her attention to their enemy and his masses. Her stance remained strong. Like this, with Aishling's glowing flowers caught in her hair and set against the backdrop of a blackened sky full of her power and rage, Shinpi look infallible. The wind tasted of fury and anticipation.

"Later, darling. We can get to know each other after." Shinpi spoke softly for Hiei's ears alone.

He liked the sound of that. The confidence in Shinpi's promise there being an after to look forward to pleased him.

"I'm not sure I enjoy seeing you so enamored with another man, beloved. I had never taken you for an adulteress." Hiro called to her, making no effort to creep toward her. "But, I suppose given your other crimes I shouldn't be surprised."

"My crimes." Shinpi snorted. "I'm ashamed of my people for believing your lies. You lacked the charisma to earn their love with your character, so you had to disparage mine. Given _your_ other crimes, I shouldn't be surprised."

"Do you really think you can win this time? Even with your new pet, you will fall again. And you know what they say Amon-Shinpi, third time's the charm." Hiro narrowed his golden eyes, the words full of venom.

"I suppose I'm willing to risk it. This is the third battle for us both, after all. Truly, it's anyone's victory."

"Even if you win, you'll never be able to rule again."

"I'm not interesting in the burdens of the crown, I never was. That was what you hated most about me."

"Not true. I hated your compassion most. Without that we could have truly been powerful together, but you always let your emotions ruin you."

Hiei was annoyed to agree, in a way, with that assessment. Shinpi's emotions often got the best of her. She was volatile, hot-headed, too protective and too caring. But that's what allowed her to be who she was. Even though Hiei didn't always understand it, he would never change that aspect of her. Hiro truly had never appreciated Shinpi for what she was and this confirmed it for them all. She had always been a tool for him to use to claim the ranks and seize the throne. Always.

"I can see it in your eyes, you think I won't win." Hiro raised his chin slightly.

"I think you'll do what you always do, Hiro. You'll find yourself backed into a corner and you will scheme your way out of trouble. I have always admired that quality about you, your innate resourcefulness in battle. You could always find a way to win, even if it wasn't honorable. It is such a shame your appetite for power grew too large for you." Shinpi sighed, hands on her hips. Her eyes wandered the faces of the soldiers standing at the ready. She addressed them next. "You don't have to do this, you know. You could leave."

The sound of armor shifting started faintly, the soldiers glancing at one another to see who run or who would stay.

"There is no honor dying in this fight, no matter what he has told you." Shinpi spoke in that way that commanded others to listen. Hiro's fury at that tone shone through his expression. "The best thing you could do for yourselves and for Aishling is to go protect it's people, not a haughty king who would rather see you all die than face me himself. He told you, didn't he? About the last time he brought an army to face me?"

Metallic rustling accompanied the growing noise of voices murmuring.

"Seven days of fighting. Of killing. Slaughtering, really. It took seven days to exhaust me enough that your king finally felt safe to attack. Who do you suppose spent their lives during that time?" Her eyes moved back toward Hiro. "You have rewritten history but the blood spilt in your name has begun to seep through the pages, beloved."

Hiei stalked closer to Shinpi's side, a sour look pinching his expression at the pet name she offered. She glanced at him then away.

"If anyone leaves, I will kill you myself." Hiro growled to the restless army. He kept his eyes on Amon-Shinpi, adjusting his body as though he was preparing for her to attack.

"How in character for the sort of man who would bury his wife beneath rubble." Shinpi offered a subtle shake of her head.

"It seemed appropriate for a woman who had hit rock bottom." Hiro tossed back, then his attention slid to Hiei. "A murderer and adultress. Some wife you turned out to be."

Hiei snorted.

"Perhaps my second attempt will go more smoothly." Shinpi smiled softly. "I saw your gift of rowan, did you really find that necessary? Trying to bind me to my makeshift grave. It's no wonder I rose from the dead."

"I didn't expect you to come back, seeing as how you died choking on your own blood with every bone in your body broken." He narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, beloved, why are you hesitating to attack me?"

"I'd like an answer to that as well." Hiei kept his voice low, having to tilt his head to offer Shinpi studious side eye. This long awaited battle was taking too long to get underway.

"Hesitating? Is that what you think I'm doing?" Shinpi laughed. "I do not hesitate. However, I do plan. I'm not acting in uncertainty. I'm biding my time."

Hiro frowned then. He looked around them, eyes pinched as if he expected her to produce an army to match his own. Perhaps she would. Hiei wasn't sure what to expect.

"You wanted to see me in battle, giving my all, didn't you darling?" Shinpi turned to Hiei then with an amused grin and soft eyes. "I've decided there will never be a better opportunity to offer you the fullest experience."

"That sounds promising." Hiei grinned back at her. "What are we waiting for, Shinpi?"

"A signal."

"A signal?"

She smiled and it revealed a row of teeth punctuated by sharp canines.

* * *

Runa skirted the army, allowing enough of a gap that they wouldn't even notice her approaching the castle wall. Sprinting, she vaulted a few feet into the air, clutching at the rough hewn stones, finding enough purchase to begin to climb. She still had a near full quiver of arrows on her hip, her bow slung around her shoulder. She was thankful for the callouses she had formed in her training, otherwise the edges of the stones would have cut her. Her landing on the other side of the wall was rough, it hurt her knees to land in a crouch, but that didn't dissuade her. Stripping off her bow, she prepared herself for whatever fight lay within the castle's inner sanctum.

Then she ran toward the front doors, pushing through them quietly. Creeping through the halls, she stayed down and out of sight. There were few soldiers in here. In fact, she didn't see anyone. Had Hiro assumed Shinpi would meet him in the town square?

Noise spun her around, and she pointed her arrow at the culprit, eyes narrowed with conviction.

The woman froze on the spot.

"You." Runa hissed. "You're the one who brought me here."

Shikari stared at her, clearly alarmed. "How did you get in here? Hiro was supposed to meet you outside."

"Where is Marcel?" Runa growled, refusing to answer her. "Take me to him."

Shikari didn't move. Her eyes darted down the hall, the way of the front doors. Runa fired her arrow, allowing it fly close to the blonde's face that it grazed her cheek. Wide brown eyes shifted their focus back to the petite blonde wielding the bow.

"I won't tell you a second time." Runa warned darkly, doing her best to channel what she had seen of Hiei's ferocity. When Shikari still made no move to help, Runa pulled the string of her bow taut.

"I'll show you." The words rushed out of Shikari's mouth in her panic. "I'll show you where he is."

Runa used the knocked arrow to gesture for Shikari to lead the way.

* * *

Yusuke and the others rushed through the outer edges of Aishling into the city proper. Citizens were gathered outside their homes and the market, huddled together, all of them talking fervently. Kurama slowed down, allowing the others to continue ahead of him.

"Apologies, but what was that you just said?" He asked of a older woman with silver-streaked hair and bluish grey skin.

"You haven't heard?" She asked, shocked. "There's a war going on near the castle! Amon-Shinpi, the former king, long believed dead, has come back. King Hiro is fighting to finally put an end to her terror."

"Insane. The dead can't come back to life." An older man huffed beside her. "You can't listen to all this brain dead talk."

"Oh, you're the one who's brain dead, you old coot. Who would lie about this?" She snapped back.

Kurama glanced between them and sighed.

"Yo. Kurama! Catch up!" Yusuke had stopped a ways ahead, and now he shouted back.

When the redhead ran back to them, he relayed what he'd learned. They all exchanged a look.

"Sounds like they started the party without us." Yusuke grinned. "Guess we'll have to show up fashionably late with the gift of helping kick some ass. Let's go."

* * *

Shinpi cocked her head to the side, eyes skyward. With a smile she said, "Ah, yes. There it is."

Hiei heard it too. The sound of wings, large ones.

"Lovely." Hiro glared at Shinpi.

Hayato came careening out of the sky, dust from the ground swirling around his feet. "It's all been handled. The others have arrived in Aishling and are awaiting your orders."

"Others?" Hiro stared at Shinpi. "You brought an army?"

"One should always follow their host's example." She responded coolly. "All of them?"

"Yes. Your friends and the wolf pack. The alpha was more than happy to answer your call for assistance. Perhaps I could convince you to court him instead of your current pick." Hayato suggested and Shinpi smiled at him, patting his shoulder.

"Afraid my mind is already made up on this one old friend. Go back to the other's Hai. Keep the civilians safe. No sense in wasting lives." Shinpi told him. "I know Yusuke and the others will be hungry for battle. If they insist, divide the groups. The pack must focus on evacuation. The others can create a buffer between us and the soldiers."

"It's nice to hear you in command again." He admitted before unfurling his wings, bending at the knees and launching himself into the air.

Hiei watched him go. "You called that idiot here as backup?"

"I called you first, darling." She teased him. Then she turned to Hiro once more. "Amazing to me, that for all your taunts and bluster, you have refused to attack me. It's almost as if you're afraid. I've been dead for twenty-six years. Do you truly believe I'm still so dangerous?"

"I've learned to be cautious with you." He answered.

Shinpi disappeared from Hiei's side and the sound of metal clashing against metal rung through the square. Shinpi's sword bit against Hiro's metal bracers, his arms thrown into a cross block.

"Good." She growled at him.

The sky opened with a clap of thunder, the downpour heavy. When the rain broke and the battle began in earnest.

* * *

He was standing in front of a window, brow creased, when Runa found Marcel. Shikari swallowed beside her.

"Marcel?" Runa's voice couldn't find the strength to get louder than a murmur. "Marcel, is that you?"

"Runa?" He spun around to face her, mouth falling open. "Runa what are you doing here?"

"I came back for you. They sent for me, and I came. I didn't run away this time." Runa lowered her bow, tears in her eyes. Shikari took that moment to turn on heel and flee, racing so quickly that Runa never had a chance to raise her weapon at the woman's retreating back.

"They promised me they wouldn't chase you if I stayed. The king gave me his word you'd be left alone." Marcel ran to her, dragging her into an embrace. His frame shook with tears and disbelieving laughter.

"The king's an ass." Runa told him with a growl. She returned his hug tightly then pulled back. "I came to rescue you. I've been training for months to get here."

"Training?" He studied her. "Yes, you definitely look it. You're different than when I told you to run, aren't you Runa? Not just a scared, beautiful little thing anymore. You've grown into your agency so well."

"Hiei and Amon-Shinpi helped me. Without them I can't say I would be here, for a variety of reasons. Who was that woman?" She glanced down the hall the way Shikari had run. "She's the one who brought me a letter, telling me to come face Hiro if I wanted to see you again."

"Shikari. She's the king's most loyal spy. Probably has something to do with being his wife." Marcel explained, then blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say Amon-Shinpi? And Hiei? As is in the heir to Alaric?"

"Yes. They're very knowledgeable about the art of battle. Amon-Shinpi has an overwhelming presence. More so now that she's in her proper body. And Hiei, he is one of the most determined and powerful demons I've ever met. I've been lucky to learn from them." Runa went on, light growing in her eyes. "I've learned so much about how to fight and hunt and track and save myself, Marcel, all of it so I could come save you."

"You risked your life coming here to rescue me." He had tears on his cheeks. "You were the best decision I ever made, Runa."

"We should go though. Amon-Shinpi and Hiei are out there fighting the king, and from the little I've seen of their fighting, I don't think we want to be caught in middle of this." She grabbed his wrist and began pulling him back down the halls.

She stopped and stared into an open they rushed passed. Her eyes were glued to the glass case standing upright in the middle of the room, special lights being sure the contents were clearly visible. The skeleton was small, the bones clean and bleached-white. Well cared for. She stopped thinking about escaping and took a few small steps toward the remains.

"The bones of the late prince." Marcel explained. "The king has held them here, tending to them since the boys death."

"What sort of man keeps a child's body on display this way?" Runa swallowed a thickness in her throat, her heart swelling with pity. Upon closer inspection she saw some of the ribs were broken near the sternum. The bones of the wrists weren't entirely intact either. A crack radiated downward from one of the eye sockets. "What a poor thing, beaten to death."

"The story goes Amon-Shinpi killed him. She went mad like her grandfather before her." Marcel stood behind her. "I can't imagine what would drive a woman to kill her own child."

"Amon-Shinpi would never." Runa straightened her back, whirling around. There was a fierce look on her face. "She nearly died saving me once. Without even thinking, she took a hit that was meant to end my life. She would never allow someone she cares for to die. And she certainly wouldn't the one to kill them."

"That's just the story, Runa. It's history here."

"Well the story is wrong!"

They continued down the halls with renewed vigor. Runa had to tell Amon-Shinpi what had been done here. If that was really her son on display, she deserved to know. As they raced through corridors, she spied several tapestries and paintings depicting the Hiro and Amon-Shinpi. Some of showed the pair side by side, some showed them facing each other in battle. The largest of all the works had Hiro facing a wolf so large it dwarfed the houses of the village. She wished she had more time to admire the art, to really piece together the truth from it, but she had no time at all.

"Once we get out of the castle, I have to find a way to tell Amon-Shinpi about her son." Runa told Marcel. "Then I have to make sure you're safe."

"Lead the way." He jogged beside her.

* * *

The soldiers moved to intervene, trying to keep Hiei and Shinpi back from Hiro. Mud splashed over their pants, their armor glistening in the downpour. Shinpi had the urge to tell to them that shiny armor proved them inexperienced. Her own armor, at its cleanest after her first battle, was still riddled with scrapes and lines, dings, dents. Hiro's guile had earned him an army of toy soldiers.

"Tell me what you need me to do." Hiei growled, spreading his feet and pulling his sword free of its sheath. The slick earth

"Keep them as far away from me as possible. Hiro is my focus. I'm counting on you to handle the distractions."

"With pleasure." Hiei ran toward the soldiers without fear.

Shinpi barreled through them indiscriminately. Hiro could hide behind his wall of men if he wanted. She would just cut through them all. They had chosen to enter this battle despite her warnings, therefore she felt no remorse when she pulled her sword free. Hiei took down three men at once, earning him a momentary reprieve to watch.

Blue fire bloomed to life around the blade, traveling over Shinpi's hand and arm up to her elbow. Cutting and arc through the air, she sent those flames outward. Hiei knew that attack, or at least a variant of it. She had used it against him in the forest, when she had lost control of herself. This version was far more deadly. The wind under the flames slid through the soldier's bodies as if they were molded from wet clay. The fire itself ate at the separate pieces. That allowed her an opening to surge through, putting her right where she wanted to be.

Dangerously close to Hiro. She kicked her leg upwards and swung it down, an arc of water following the path. He was taken off his feet.

"Done trying to be a saint, I see." Hiro sneered at her, rolling out of the way of a downward strike.

"I was never a saint, Hiro. I never pretended to be. I just never felt the need to be so brutally monstrous." Shinpi spun in a tight circle to avoid a line of lightning that had been aimed at her chest. "That is until our last meeting."

"You're talking too much." Hiei slid to a stop behind her, knocking a thrown knife out of the air that had been aimed at her back.

She nodded, not sure if he could see it. Hiro danced back as she rushed down on him. He produced a sword himself and they were forced to collide with one another. Sparks flew from where their weapons clashed.

Hiro twisted away as Shinpi thrust her blade forward. He released a throwing knife that cut her across the cheek as she barely jerked her face to the side in time to avoid losing her eye. Her right hand snatched the blade from the air after it passed her, then she spun and it buried itself in Hiro's thigh, true to her aim.

He snarled and ripped it out of his leg, tossing it onto the ground. "You've gotten faster."

"I can't return the compliment." She was in front of him in a blur, a punch meant for his temple swinging wild through the air as he ducked. The clashed and separated, clashed and separated, bouncing around the area until they'd nearly pushed into the boundaries of the town. His sword cut her in the ribs. Shallow, but it stung despite the adrenaline pounding in her veins.

She kicked his wrist as he attempted to cut her again. His blade went flying from his hand and landed point down several feet away. This led him to to strike out with another bolt of lightning. When she jumped to avoid it three more bolts took her out of the air.

"Shinpi!" Hiei yelled her name.

Hiro laughed, stalking toward her as she struggled to get to her hands and feet. Her head swam with static, her ears ringing after that direct hit. It wasn't as bad as it had been, before. Her sessions with Matsuma had paid off. She knew how long it would take her body to wake up. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to make the process speed up. Waiting for her vision to clear, she sat back on her knees and promptly snapped to the side as Hiro landed a hit across her face.

"Some stories will always have the same ending." He pulled his arm back, hand shaped like a claw. Sparks crackled around his fingers.

Just as he went to land his strike, Shinpi found herself tackled out of the way. Hiei rolled over her, hands on her shoulders. The back of her clothes were soaked through immediately, and she felt the gritty mud sticking to her. Hiei hovered over her, eyes scouring her face. His hair stood on end from how close of a call they'd just had. Hiro fired another set of bolts toward them and Hiei snarled as he covered Shinpi's body with his own. Her shield bloomed around them both just in time to deflect the attack. Hiei propped himself up on his elbows.

"Your eyes have absolutely no business being as beautiful as gemstones, darling." Shinpi rose to her elbows under him, their faces coming close together. "How dare you be so beautiful on a battlefield."

"Pay more attention." Hiei blushed as he tried to brush off her compliments. "You could have died."

"With you on my side death has no power over me." Shinpi pressed a quick kiss to his mouth before whispering against his lips, "I could never live with myself if I disappointed you, darling."

"Then fight harder." Hiei demanded softly. "Don't make me end this fight for you."

"I adore you, Hiei, but I won't hesitate to break your leg if you so much as try to take the life that is mine." She smiled at him despite her threat. Then she rolled him roughly, pinning him to the ground, straddling his hips, her hands on his chest. Her attention went over her shoulder to where Hiro screamed for her to fight. He looked utterly livid. "Take your own advice darling and don't die."

Her shield fell out of existence as she launched herself off Hiei and back into the thick of battle. More soldiers attempted to intercept her and she slashed another line of them down, no hesitation in her movements. Hiei flipped up to his feet, smirking as he watched her. The way she moved her feet, dancing around attackers, her hair wild around her despite the rain and the muck, she looked like something from a fairytale to him. And she was relentless, ruthless in her movements. So unlike when she'd faced down the brainwashed pack in the mountains, aiming to injure and not kill.

He could get used to seeing her in this element, he decided as he rushed to push back a group of soldiers who had moved to create a barrier between Shinpi and her prey, but he had to jump out of the way as she roared, using her hands to direct a sudden surge of water that fell from the sky. It washed several of the men away, their cries quickly being drowned out. Hiro ran at her. His hit sent her hurtling backwards through the air, crashing through a building that then toppled down around her.

Hiei moved to rush to her side, but was blocked by a heap of soldiers who looked about ready to drop dead of terror.

* * *

"Get out of here!" Yusuke yelled at the lingering citizens who were gaping at the unruly fighting of the king and Amon-Shinpi. "Evacuate means evacuate!"

"This way." Kuwabara was carting out the elderly with ginger care, carrying two older women in his arms and rushing them to a cart of people, all ready to flee. The massive lizard pulling the cart have a hiss and scurried off as soon as the women were inside.

Kurama used his plants to line paths for people to run down so they wouldn't become a mob. Something crashed through the building to his left and he spun, along with Yusuke, ready to fight. The building crumbled inward. Blue light glowed from the tip of Yusuke's finger as he aimed it toward the mess. A large piece of rubble shifted, then was cast to the side. Covered in grime and fragments of the building, her hair caked with white dust and mud, a woman rose from the destruction. Yusuke kept his aim held on her. Kurama had his whip at the ready.

"You can point those glares elsewhere boys." Amon-Shinpi stated as she glared toward Hiro. "You know me. Did you see my sword? It appears I dropped it."

"Hichi?" Yusuke lowered his hand. "You're looking…tall."

She offered a side-glance coupled with a smile. Her left foot slid back and her hands came up as Hiro fell on her with a vicious smile. A burst of heat and ozone blew outward from where Shinpi stopped his air-borne assault, her feet slipping back with the force of him pressing down on her. Her eyes darkened as she understood the sudden change in his power.

Her sword.

There, right in his hands. The very thing he had been hunting for all this time.

The shockwave of their collision had pushed the others back. Shinpi wrenched Hiro to the side and tried to lure him away from the city proper. Civilians were shouting at each other to flee. Hiro used his left hand to thrust an arc of electricity after her as she ran. The energy hit a building, taking a chunk out of it. Shinpi twisted and grabbed a young woman to yank her out of the way, pulling the girl into her arms and hopping to the side. Large lavender eyes stared up in shock at the profile of her savior. Brown hair was speckled with the dust of the diminished structure.

"Run along, little one. This is no place for innocents." Shinpi carefully placed her on her feet.

"You're Amon-Shinpi." The girl stared in awe. "I knew you hadn't gone mad."

"Did you now?" Shinpi offered her a warm smile. "Thank you. But you need to leave. Perhaps, someday, the true story will be told."

"I hope you win." The girl nodded and started to run. A few feet away she turned back to shout, "My name is Miki! My father owns a tavern! Tell me your story sometime!"

"Children." Shinpi smiled and shook her head.

"Foolish to the end." Hiro agreed, his words brushing the side of her face. The sword pressed to the front of her neck from behind.

Shinpi heard Kuwabara shout at Hiro to get away from her. Somewhere, in the distance, Hiei's voice called to her too. She closed her eyes. This is what Hiro had wanted, to have her at his mercy. To command her greatest weapon against her. The blade drew across her neck.

This was Hiro had thought would end all things. The ultimate achievement meant to solidify his power. None would question him.

Shinpi smiled, eyes closed. Her hand gripped the knife Hiei had left on her grave.

"What? What is this?" Hiro staggered back from her as he studied the bloodless blade. "You're meant to be dead! This should have killed you."

Shinpi had no mark on her throat from the blade when she turned to face him. No blood draining from her neck down her shirt front. No pain in her eyes. Only a smile of victory. She thrust her knife into his abdomen, so close she could kiss him in all this rain. Hiro gasped in shock, his hand going to the wound.

"How?" He stepped back, dropping the sword to grab at the knife. "You should be dead."

"You never had a chance of wielding my sword. Heart or no heart, Hiro, you will never be a Takani." She plucked the sword from a puddle of murky water.

He threw the knife to the side, preparing to run. "This should have worked."

"The sword won't cut me Hiro, it was never going to. Grandfather protects me. Aishling protects me."

Hiro glimpsed the pendant around her neck. The wood worn smooth and reshaped. The seed in its metal cage. He tasted acid as it climbed up the back of his throat.

"And now, they will both help me end this once and for all."

He choked, sagging, as Shinpi thrust her sword into his chest. Right through her brother's heart. She followed Hiro to the ground, mostly to be sure her hit had landed home. She wanted to watch the life fade from his eyes. Footsteps around them, shouting, alerted her to the fact the soldiers had flooded the city and were engaging with her friends. The men who had followed her into this short-lived war. The men she had grown to adore over the last year.

Now, it was all worth it. Worth every close call, every argument and injury. Hiro shook, his hand gripping the blade and sliding down it, gashing his palm.

"We could have been legends, together." Shinpi told him. "But you had to grow too hungry. I've been looking forward to this moment for half a century, beloved."

* * *

Hiei caught sight of Shinpi as she stabbed Hiro in the leg. He felt a swell of pride and exorbitant mirth overcome him as he watched her finally shoved her blade through Hiro's still-beating heart. He actually laughed outright as the idiot sagged to the ground. Pushing the body he'd just cut through off his own sword he flicked it to the side to get most of the viscera off before sliding the blade back into its sheath as he walked toward Shinpi and her conquest. It was mesmerizing to him, watching her hover over her prey.

The most beautifully dangerous creature he had ever seen bare its teeth.

As he sauntered to her side, where he wanted to be as Hiro took his last wretched breath so they could share this victory together, he heard Hiro taunting her. Could she not get any sense of closure? Was the world seriously this determined to ruin her?

* * *

Hiro choked and then he collapsed down to the ground fully, letting his head fall back. His expression shifted into a smile and that rose bumps on Shinpi's skin. What could he possibly be smiling about? She had won. She had finally won. Her revenge was had. He was dying.

"If you kill me, you'll never know who ended your precious sister's life." Hiro panted, a sheen of sweat glistening over his skin as blood pulsed from his wounds. "You'll never know what her last words were."

Shinpi's eyes grew wild, her nostrils flaring. Her sword had already pierced his heart. He was just prolonging the inevitable, trying to get her to relent. She wouldn't. "Kuya died of sickness, just like grandmother. She had a weak constitution."

But doubt crept into her mind. Her sister had never been sickly. Weak, maybe, but not of ill health.

"I thought were you smarter than that. For all of your intelligence, you have always been so quick to play dumb to the truth when it didn't suit you." Hiro tried to rise but Shinpi pressed her blade upwards, widening the gash she'd given him. He coughed up blood. "Aina didn't die of natural causes, you fool. No one in your family could claim that fate."

The rain washing his blood down to the mud felt cold on her skin. This was her victory. He was lying. Shinpi snarled. "Tell me what you know!"

"Even you can't command a corpse, beloved. You did this to yourself." Hiro sat up, forcing himself further up the sword. His smile was vicious and tinted red with blood. In a whisper he told her. "You're not the true king, Sayol."

His eyes rolled up into his head and Shinpi snarled. Ripping her sword out of him, she started putting pressure on the wound despite the overwhelming amount of blood pouring out.

"Don't you dare!" She yelled at him. "You owe me, Hiro! You owe me the truth! After everything you've taken from me, you do not get the last word! You don't get to take this with you!"

Hiei grabbed her, attempting to pull her off the fallen impostor king. Shinpi shoved him back with one bloody, going back to trying to keep Hiro from dying. Her energy poured out of her hands, saturating is wound. But it didn't knit closed.

"No!" She screamed. "NO!"

"Shinpi, he's dead." Hiei pulled her back by her arms, wrapping his around her. "He's dead, he can't tell you anything."

"He knows what happened to them! He knows what killed Kuya!" She screamed.

"I know. I know." Hiei held her tighter. "But he's taken that truth to the grave with him."

Shinpi wailed, a mixture of seething rage and crippling sorrow, her face turned into Hiei's neck. He adjusted the way he held her, one hand going to the back of his head to keep her close. Her bloodstained hands gripped his shirt. And she cried. She cried harder than he'd ever see her cry and it killed him. He couldn't pull his angry gaze away from Hiro's gloating corpse. He had died with a bullshit smile on his face. He had known what he was doing to her, how he was hurting her.

Hiei, turned his head so that his lips rested against Shinpi's temple.

"We'll find the answers, somehow. We'll find them." He promised her, beyond wrathful at the state she had been left in. This whole ordeal was meant to bring her closure, to help her heal. Instead it cut a new gaping hole in her heart. She clutched him tightly as he repeated, "We'll find them."

* * *

Shinpi stood gazing into the flames of her brother's funeral pyre. Such a small skeleton to recover. Runa had led them to the bones after the fight had ended. Despite the havoc rising from the grave and immediately entering into a life or death battle had wreaked on her body, she would not leave this spot. She would wait until she could personally take Kin's ashes to where they belonged so he could finally find his peace with his family. Her friends stood around her, all of them staring too. No one spoke. The castle grounds were silent, the castle itself emptied of staff and residents. Hundreds of fresh graves specked the lands around them, all the soldiers who had fallen because of Hiro's vanity.

Hiei stood on her right, close enough their arms touched. He hadn't left her side since the end of the battle. Shinpi was thankful for that. He'd even helped carry Kin here. Now he held her up without even realizing it. She wondered if he knew that he had saved her life by coming after her.

"Thank you." She told him, eyes still glued to the remains of her brother being reduced to ashes that would be buried amongst the roots of Aishling.

"For what?" Hiei asked.

"Existing, I suppose." She responded. Inhaling deeply, she turned her face upwards to study the stars. "It's a beautiful night to say goodbye. I missed this view."

Hiei looked up too. "If I had fallen into a place like this, maybe I would have been a different man."

Shinpi glanced at his face, hearing the reverie in his tone. She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but she didn't push him to explain. He would, eventually. She truly believed that. "I'm quite fond of the man you are now."

"You're likely the first." He huffed, studying her face. Having to tip his head back to see her eyes would take getting used to. The flames of the pyre reflected in her eyes. How lucky he was that Hiro had decided not to honor her with her family's customs.

"I don't think so." Shinpi turned to look over their allies with a faint smile. "In fact, I think I'm merely the most recent."

 **THE END**


	53. The Epilogue

People bustled through the cafe, so many people doing so many different things it was almost suffocating. But crowds like this, where all the beings in them were in their own worlds, they made the best place for meetings where you didn't want to be heard or noticed. All conversations were normal when there was a orchestra of voices covering up the topic.

Koenma glanced at the server as she placed their coffees in front of them. When he didn't smile, Amon-Shinpi did for him, offering a nod to the woman.

"I was hoping for a more private space." Koenma admitted, looking around.

"Trust me, I've been keeping secrets for a long time little prince, this is the most private place we could be." Amon-Shinpi sipped her latte and sighed easily as it warmed her. The spring air was far better than the frigid winter winds, but she still preferred summer to all other seasons. She missed the feel of sweat rolling down her neck just standing still. That's where she felt most at home.

Human world had been an adjustment for her, but a necessary one. She'd made a deal after all. People stared at her more now. Red hair, blue eyes, skin not of this nation. It didn't help she was tall compared to most of the other women. Not that she minded, it just made her stick out.

"If father finds about this-" Koenma leaned told her, sipping his own drink.

"Don't let him find out, if you're so worried." Shinpi huffed, accepting the folder he handed to her. "It would be best for both of us if this stayed between us. I don't need anymore attention from the SDF than I'm already getting."

"That file wasn't easy to procure, they'll know it's missing." His eyes fell to the paperwork as she flipped the file open, her eyes scanning over the pages, flipping through them as she tried to find something new. "I've combed through them a hundred times. I didn't find anything of interest. Maybe you'll have more luck."

Shinpi stopped and studied one page more closely.

Her file, the one Spirit World had crafted about her. An incomplete dossier. The Makai's breadth made it impossible to keep track of every single demon out there, and harder still to follow their lineage. She'd been the nail that needed hammering when she'd risen to power, fighting against Mukuro and then Hiro. But beyond that it didn't seem they had too much on her. But this, this would prove useful.

Four months she'd been trying to dredge up information about who might've been involved in the murder of her entire family. Hiro's parting words had not just cut through her, but had brought to life an ambition for the hunt she had rarely experienced. She wanted to solve this mystery, and she'd do anything to make that happen. Even work for Spirit World as their precious little bounty hunter. Their pet killer. King Enma had struck the terms of their arrangement before telling her how to get her body back. It was his price.

He wanted her close, under observation until whatever it was that she was reborn to do had come to pass.

Shinpi was more than happy to play along for now. It afforded her access to Spirit World when she needed it. Moments like this came easier. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Koenma was merely checking her progress on a case he had assigned.

Hiei had nearly spit fire when he'd learned what she'd agreed to, but she'd convinced him the benefits outweighed the cost. He'd worked for them too, after all, and look at the result. He'd gotten to meet his closest allies, he'd captured Mukuro's attention. Without Spirit World she and him might not have ever met, she had told him. Good things come from ugly circumstances. Give it time.

She closed the folder and handed it back to Koenma. "I don't need it anymore. You can put it back in whatever vault your father deems is necessary."

"Did you find something?" Koenma flicked the pages, trying to determine what she had seen.

"I've got an appointment with Shizuru, I'll update you on the the demons you assigned me, the ones fighting humans in the park. As of now the case looks promising."

He understood the change in topic and nodded. "Try to bring them in alive this time. We've got a truce with Demon World to uphold."

"That's up to them isn't it?" Shinpi rose with a toothy smile, "I never kill anyone who doesn't make it necessary."

He rolled his eyes.

Then, as she was leaving, he said softly, "Be careful, Shinpi. Who knows whose eyes are on you now."

She paused, almost glancing back at him, but she didn't. Instead she shouldered through the crowd with her latte and made her way out the door. Once outside she considered the clue she'd found in the file. Of course Koenma would have missed it. She had overlooked it for nearly two hundred years. Pieces began to shift on the chessboard in her mind, the black king across the board sending out his first pawns toward her. She mapped out how this might go, all the ways she could see, and then she sipped her drink.

Two could play this underhanded game.

* * *

 **Coming Relatively Soon Based On My Schedule:**

 **Survivor** **'s Guilt: Loss in Victory**


End file.
